Sapporo 1 Day Walking &
Photography Tour

Guided day tour from Sapporo

from

¥26,000

Join us on this special walking & photography tour of Sapporo to capture the stunning landscapes of Houheikyo, Jozankei and Mt. Moiwa through the lens.

We are no longer taking bookings for this tour

Our team at Adventure Hokkaido is still small and, due to high demand for tours, our guides have little availability for the foreseeable future.

For this reason, we have decided to stop offering day tours for the time being and focus our energy on our Multi-day Guided Tours. As our team grows, we hope to offer day tours again in the future.

Tour Duration
1 Day
Minimum Travellers
4 People
Accommodation
Day trip
Tour Starts
Sapporo
Included Meals
1 Lunch
Tour Finishes
Sapporo

Tour Highlights

Visit the rustic hot spring village of Jozankei and Lake Jozan, in Shikotsu-Toya National Park.
Hike to Mt Moiwa (531m/1,742ft) to revel in its unrivalled sunset views.
Hone your own artist’s eye and creativity as you are guided by a Sapporo based professional photographer.

About Sapporo

Hokkaido’s capital Sapporo is a modern, vibrant city filled with both natural & cultural attractions. With a population of 1.9 million, Sapporo is the largest city in the prefecture. As a member of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network since 2013, Sapporo boasts a rich diversity of arts and culture, which will be evident to visitors in the urban parks, museums and festivals hosted throughout the year.

We invite you to join us on a special walking tour, camera in hand, to discover the stunning landscape surrounding Shikotsu-Toya National Park, the traditional onsen village of Jozankei and Mt Moiwa, nominated as one of the top three night view observatories in Japan.

Who is this tour for?

Active travellers who enjoy leisurely walks in both urban and natural settings.
Curious travellers who enjoy a mixture of activities & sightseeing and learning about the regions they visit.

This walking tour is carefully paced for active travellers who love photography, and is designed to provide you with ample time to connect personally with Hokkaido’s people, culture and landscapes in focused and interesting ways. You’ll be led by renowned Sapporo-based photographer, Daisuke Kondo, who will generously share his photography skills and the hidden mysteries of the areas we are visiting. Your creative ambitions will soar with this unique opportunity to explore and immortalize the beauty of Sapporo through photography.

When is the best time to visit Sapporo?

We run this tour during the snow free months between May and October and anytime during this period is an ideal time to go! Catch the cherry blossoms and spring flowers in early May. Late May to June is the season of fresh verdure, and a pleasant time to hike to smaller mountains like Mt Moiwa (531m/1,742ft). July is still relatively dry and enjoys warm weather, and in August the temperature reaches its peak (22°C/71°F on average) and we pull out our short sleeves to make the most of the summer days! September and October are our autumn months, when we start seeing the change of foliage colour, a sign that Mother Earth is preparing herself for the long, snowy winter of Hokkaido.

Tour Inclusions
Items that are included in the cost of tour price.

Lunch
Guided walking & photography tour
One way cable car ticket at Mt Moiwa
English speaking professional Japanese photography & walking guide

Meet your guide

Dai

Day 1 Guided walking & photography tour in Sapporo

Our group will meet at 8 am at a pre-arranged location in Central Sapporo. We’ll travel by bus towards Hoheikyo Dam where we see Lake Jozan, replete with the reflections of cliffs and trees on the calm lake. You can explore unique compositions to bring out the best of this colourful landscape in your photography.

Before noon, we will head down to Jozankei Onsen (hot spring) village for lunch. Here we will enjoy a delicious experience at a local kissaten café, a Japanese retro coffee shop where they serve coffee, soft drinks and freshly made meals.

In the afternoon, we will explore this nostalgic onsen village which dates back to 1866. The hot spring was developed by a monk called Jozan, after whom it was named. We will pay a visit to a small Shinto shrine, a scenic bridge and an ashiyu foot spa to experience the abundance of these hot springs. As Jozankei onsen is sourced from 56 different hot springs, we will see steam billowing up from the ground in different places as we wander around the village. This part of the tour involves walking about 4km/2.4 miles at a leisurely pace, with plenty of time to photograph the surrounding nature and townscape.

Leaving Jozankei by bus, we will make our way to our final destination of Mt Moiwa. Here we will hike 3km/1.9miles through the primeval forest to the mountain top most loved by Sapporo locals. You will see why at the summit observatory as we gaze out across the entire city of Sapporo beneath us. We hope to see and capture the sun as it descends below the horizon, then the night views of Sapporo as the lights of the city start twinkling like the stars above. We will return by cable car to our bus at the bottom of Mt Moiwa, and then head back to Central Sapporo, where we say our goodbyes at around 6 pm.

Hiking Distance
– 7km / 4.3miles
Tour Duration
– 9 to 10 hours
Elevation
– 500m/1,640ft

What to bring on your Sapporo 1 Day Walking & Photography Tour

Essentials

Waterproof jacket and pants
Adequate footwear for hiking
Fleece jacket (even in summer the temperature can drop below 15˚C/60˚F)
Gloves, beanie, and other items to keep you warm
Sun hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses
Water bottle or hydration system of more than 1L
Small towel for drying your feet after foot spa
Personal medications
Travel insurance
Camera
Backpack with enough capacity to carry all of the above
Rain cover for the backpack

We supply

Lunch, drink and snacks
First aid kit
Safety equipment and maps

Camera & Equipment

Most people on our photography tour use a DSLR or mirrorless camera but a compact digital camera will also be fine, provided it has some individual controls. An iPhone can be a great tool if you are confident how to get the most out of it and are happy with the photo file size. Some people use medium format cameras too.

Tripods can be especially useful in low light and at night. A solid but light tripod will work for most people. Modern cameras are more flexible so some people will choose not to bring a tripod. If you are unsure anything about the equipment, please let us know at the time of booking.

What to bring on your Hokkaido Hiking tour graphic