Spring is a rather awkward time to be in Hokkaido Japan.
In the rest of Japan towards the South, Hanami ‘flower viewing’ season is already in full swing.

In Hokkaido, you still get the occasional sprinkling of snow and a few lone tulips peeking out and telling their friends to stay underground because it’s still too cold.
With that said, Spring is still a great time to visit Hokkaido – especially if you enjoy a good snowscape amid warmer temperatures and not having to jostle with mobs of tourists in the high seasons.

One of our favourite activities is taking a trip up into the mountains on one of the region’s many ropeways. You’ll be rewarded with magnificent views far from the bustle of the cities and feel like you’re on top of the world.

Here are the 3 mountain excursions we highly recommend:

Mt Hakodate

Hakodate is a beautiful port city situated at the Southwestern tip of Hokkaido island – which explains why this is where you’ll get some of the freshest seafood in the world.

A short tram ride from the Hakodate train station will get you to the Mt Hakodate ropeway.
The best time to visit is in the late afternoon just before sunset so that you can see the uniquely shaped landscape come alive with lights.

• 

Avid photographers must go early to secure a spot for your tripod if you want to capture this magical view of the city at dusk.

Don’t forget to walk around the viewing platform to the other side. This side has only a tenth of the crowd with an equally beautiful view of the tranquil sea and mountains with extremely surreal colours at sunset.

If you prefer to be indoors and away from the crowds, the cafe one floor below the viewing deck offers the same view of the city.

Mt Moiwa

Mt Moiwa is just half an hour away from the city centre of Sapporo (the capital of Hokkaido).
This is probably the reason that even on a weekday, a large percentage of the visitors are native Japanese.

Let me sidetrack a little to the other things you could do in Sapparo city during Springtime.

First of all, this city is food galore. There are tons of fabulous restaurants all within a stone’s throw from each other.
A couple of recommendations are:

• Hanamaru Sushi for very inexpensive sushi of the quality you’ll only find in above average restaurants in other parts of the world.

• 牛禅 札幌駅前通り店 (Gyuzen Sapporo) for authentic shabu shabu or sukiyaki or both in one pot if you fancy.

• Kushidori for yakitori and sake to experience how the young working Japanese unwind after work.

In the area of sightseeing, there are no flowers to see in Sapporo before May. The Nakajima and Odori parks are bare and the Botanic Garden is closed from November to May.
You can still however admire some of the iconic buildings of the city such as the Clock tower and former Hokkaido Government Office.

And then of course there’s also the shopping.
You’ll find building after building of departmental stores (Daimaru, Mitsukoshi) at such a scale that could only be found in Japan.
Floor after floor (we’re talking about a minimum of eight levels) of an endless variety of fashion, accessories, electronics, and even food.

So, back to Mt Moiwa.

It is still very windy and chilly on top of the mountain in Spring, at an elevation of 530m, so bring a good down jacket or you’ll be joining the throng of visitors taking shelter in the indoor area just before the door which accesses the observation deck.

The observation deck offers a superb panoramic view across the city of Sapporo.
Stay to watch the sunset – it is not as crowded here as at Mt Hakodate.

Mt Asahi

Last but not least, Mt Asahi, which is the highest peak of the Daisetsuzan mountain range – the largest mountain range in Japan.
This must be the last remaining sanctuary for avid skiers. Where else can you find heavy snowfall in the middle of Spring in Japan?
It is no wonder that ‘Daisetsuzan’ literally translates to big snowy mountains.

There are multiple ski runs of different levels of difficulty but mostly steep slopes meant for advanced skiers.

Even if you’re not planning on skiing, views from the ski lift are absolutely breathtaking – with the evergreen red pine forests and snowcapped mountains.
A short 2-hour hike to the summit is also possible in the summer and autumn months.
There are signs warning of a huge population of black bears which you may encounter if you are hiking.

After spending a day in the snowy wonderland you could warm up and unwind at one of the many hot spring resorts in the vicinity.