There is no avoiding the fact that winter in Hokkaido is cold, however with good windproof and insulated jackets, it’s still possible to be nice and warm while enjoying our winter activities.
We recommend bringing lots of varied layers so you can adjust as you warm up while hiking, or when you step indoors out of the cold. If you need more advice or have any questions about this list, we highly recommend that you check out our winter layering blog for a complete guide on how to stay warm – but not too warm.
We recommend warm, waterproof, high-cut, durable winter boots for snowshoeing. Warm to protect your feet from the cold, waterproof to prevent any moisture getting into contact with your feet, high-cut to prevent snow from getting in and durable to withstand the strain from the snowshoes’ straps and grips. Please note that while summer hiking boots may be waterproof and durable, they will not be sufficiently insulated for winter conditions, nor will they be sufficiently high-cut.
We estimate that a medium-sized suitcase should be sufficient to hold everything on the packing list and still leave you with some space for souvenirs! The dimensions of a medium-sized suitcase are usually between 60x40x25 cm and 70x50x30 cm.
Large or oversized suitcases are not recommended on our tours. There are many reasons for this - first, we often change accommodation every night and It can be tricky to pack and unpack large suitcases everyday. Large luggage can also have trouble fitting into tour vehicles and you may struggle to get them on board Japan’s compact public transport. Additionally, some accommodations that we use do not have elevators.
If you are looking for ways to reduce your luggage load, we would suggest sticking to the packing list we provide and leaving anything not listed at home. Many of the accommodations we stay at have laundry facilities, so you can wash and re-use the same clothes on tour. If a large amount of luggage is unavoidable for whatever reason, let us know at the time of booking. We can advise you on luggage-holding services or how to use Japan’s luggage-forwarding system.
We will meet at 5:00 pm at our hotel in Central Abashiri. The closest airport is Abashiri Memanbetsu (MMB) and you can fly directly there from Tokyo Haneda (HND), Sapporo New Chitose (CTS), and Sapporo Okadama (OKD).
From Abashiri Memanbetsu Airport, airport shuttles depart for central Abashiri with the arrival of every domestic flight. The shuttle takes 26 mins from the Airport to JR Abashiri Station, and costs ¥1,050 per person. Our hotel is within walking distance of the station.
Alternatively, you can take a JR train from Sapporo to Abashiri if you prefer. It takes 5.5 hours and costs just over ¥10,000 for a non-reserved seat.
You can search train timetables in English on the Japan Transit Planner website.
In the case of tours where the meeting point or end point is different to the first or last night’s accommodation (for example, meeting in Asahikawa but staying in Asahidake Onsen, staying in Tsurui but disbanding in Kushiro), it is best that you make any pre or post-tour night arrangements by yourself. Once booked, please inform us of where you will be staying so that we can pass the information on to your guides.
However, if the tour’s meeting point or disbanding point is the same as the first or last night’s accommodation, we can simply extend your stay so please let us know in this instance!
If you are struggling to make a pre or post-tour hotel booking, please let us know and we will see what we can do to help.
We will send you a link to our online sign up form, where we ask for the travel information of all the members travelling with you.
Once we receive this, we will send you an invoice for your tour deposit, which is JPY 50,000 per person. We will confirm your booking upon receipt of your deposit payment.
The deposit is treated as a part of the tour price. Payment of the balance will be reminded by email, which is generally 5 weeks prior to the tour departure date.
We accept payment via Wise or Flywire. We will send you payment links, which you can use to send payment directly to ourselves (you don't need to create a Wise or Flywire account to send the funds). When paying via Wise, payment is available in Japanese Yen only, and you must pay any currency exchange or transfer fees by yourself.
For credit card payment or domestic bank transfer converted to your own currency, we use Flywire, which will incur an additional transaction fee of 1.5%.
By paying for a deposit or full amount, you confirm that you have read, understand and agree to these Terms and Conditions.
Our general cancellation policy is shown as below.
For further details, we recommend you read our refund and cancellation policy in more detail on our Terms and Conditions page. Feel free to contact us at info@nospam.adventure-hokkaido.com if you have any additional questions.
Japan remains a popular travel destination and it is not unusual for accommodation in peak seasons to be booked out up to a year in advance. So, the sooner the better! Generally speaking, we ask for you to book 10 - 12 months in advance if you are looking at a custom departure. For scheduled departures, we make our dates available from up to a year in advance. If we feel that your date is too close for us to realistically put a trip together to the standard we pride ourselves on, we will let you know at the time of enquiry and will do our best to suggest alternative travel dates.
This is a mixed group tour and we accept bookings from one person up. However, our scheduled group tours require a minimum number of bookings for us to guarantee the departure of the tour, and to offer the tour at the price quoted. The minimum number of booked guests to guarantee the tour is four people.
If you book with less than four people, we will hold your place on the tour and wait for another group to join the tour. If the number of guests has not reached the minimum number by 60 days prior to departure, we will give you the option to cancel or to upgrade to a private departure.
If you choose to cancel, we will refund the amount in Japanese Yen that you have paid us. You’re welcome to check with us at any time about the status of bookings.
Please be advised that we will not be liable to compensate for any inconvenience or incidental expenses that might have incurred to you, including airline tickets.
Our tours are priced on a twin share basis. Those travelling by themselves will need to pay an additional supplement for use of a single room. If you enter the number of guests in your group and rooms you need, the dates and prices form will calculate the price for your group.
Our tours are priced on a twin share basis and those travelling by themselves will need to pay an additional supplement for use of a single room. If you are happy to share a room with another guest - of the same gender - then let us know at the time of booking. If we match you with another solo traveller then we can discount the single supplement for both of you.
Private departures of one of our exisiting tours is something that we can arrange. As long as our guides, our favourite accommodations, and activities are available for your preferred dates, we can make it happen!
Private departure requests must be made well in advance—by November 1st for summer tours (May to Oct) and by April 1st for winter tours (Jan to Mar) of the following year. This early booking is necessary as our guides are assigned to our scheduled tours during these planning months of November and April.
We require a minimum of 4 people for a private departure. The following surcharges apply:
Your luggage will stay in our van, freeing you up to enjoy the day’s adventure with only a light day pack. We recommend bringing a pack large enough to fit a thermos of hot water, a warm layer, camera and any snacks you might need.
We will be outdoors in subzero temperatures for up to 4 hours at a time before returning to the van and travelling to the next stop. Many of our experiences are active and you will be surprised how warm you get while moving. Because of this, it's important to layer well so you can regulate your temperature. You will also find there's a big temperature difference between indoors and outdoors, another reason layering is essential.
Make sure you check the gear list for an idea of what layers to bring.
While we try to organise everything, mother nature is out of our control. If the weather is too bad to safely hike or snowshoe (such as during a snowstorm) we will travel to the next inn in our support vehicle. Along the way we will still stop at local restaurants and visit indoor facilities, so you can still experience the charm of the area while travelling safely and comfortably.
While vegetarianism and veganism are catching on in larger urban areas, across much of Japan it is still unheard of. Outside of main cities, there are very few pure vegetarian or vegan restaurants available and many Japanese do not have a clear understanding of what exactly qualifies a food as being truly vegan or vegetarian.
If you are travelling to Hokkaido as a vegan or vegetarian, you will have to accept that you may not be able to experience the full scope of Japanese food as your other travellers might. With advance notice and clear direction, some restaurants and accommodations are happy to cater to your requirements so please let us know your needs at the time of booking, but some facilities may choose to simply remove dishes from your meal instead of making a substitute. The main challenge is “dashi”, a meat or fish-based broth that is very commonly added to Japanese dishes. This can be hard to remove from Japanese cooking (it’s a bit like asking a European chef not to add salt and pepper!) as it is integral to a number of dishes.
See our Vegan & Vegetarian in Hokkaido blog to learn more.
Absolutely! This is a must for all travellers joining our tours. Please make sure you have valid travel insurance, covering the kind of activities you are undertaking during our tour, cancellations, loss of personal belongings, and any unforeseen circumstances while travelling. We will require the details of your travel insurance provider such as the name, policy number and phone number prior to the commencement of the tour.
If you're a Japanese citizen and on Japan's national health insurance scheme, we can mitigate our insurance requirement, although we still strongly recommend that you have flight cancellations and related expenses covered by some kind of insurance. Often your credit card provider can offer this coverage.
Tipping is not a part of Japanese culture and is not expected. Most jobs pay a high enough wage that workers can make a living without tips and service charges are often included as standard at restaurants, bars and so on (but this being Japan, you of course don’t pay a service charge and get nothing in return– you might get a little extra side dish called “otōshi” or some free bar snacks!)
However, if you do wish to tip, feel free to do so. Nobody is going to mind the extra cash (even if you may have to reassure them several times that it’s okay to keep the money)!
As you may have heard, many onsen facilities (including hotels we use) have no-tattoo policies due to tattoos' historical association with Japanese criminal organisations. If you have tattoos, please let us know as early as possible so we can advise you on your specific tattoos and onsen options on your trip. Small tattoos are often acceptable if covered with patches. For those with larger tattoos, we will do what we can, but please don't take any restrictions personally—this is simply Japanese culture and part of travelling here.
The good news is that times are changing. Japanese attitudes towards tattoos are starting to shift, and the rise in international tourism is fostering an understanding that tattoos often have ancestral and spiritual importance in many cultures. This has prompted a few establishments to relax their rules based on the tattoos themselves, the individual, and the timing of their visit. This leads to a “grey area” approach at some establishments. For guided tour guests, our guides can help you navigate these situations during your trip. With that said, many establishments still maintain official tattoo bans due to concerns that Japanese guests, who make up the core demographic of onsen visitors, could be offended.
For many ryokan (traditional Japanese inns) that we use, the onsen is part of the reason domestic guests stay there. As such, some have no en-suite showers, with the onsen serving as the only place to wash. Fortunately, many of these establishments allow you to book a private onsen slot which, whilst usually incurring an additional fee, allows you to relax in complete privacy. If you let us know in advance, we can help book private baths where available.