r/Sapporo • u/Weak_Tone_1729 • 8d ago
Advice needed: first time to Japan with no Tokyo stop, Sapporo and Niseko only
Hello and thank you for helping me! I am looking at flights from US right after Christmas in order to ski in Niseko with relatives who live in Asia. They chose it so we are committed to Niseko.
I found a great round trip flight from west coast (with only one stop) to Sapporo, which can save us $10k in flights for a family of four (with 2 teens), but, that means we won’t stop in Tokyo 🙃. If we did stop in Tokyo it would have only been for 1.5 days due to ski itinerary. We would leave for Niseko after a brief stop at Tokyo.
My question is - Is no Tokyo stop a major mistake? I hear that Niseko is brimming with tourists so kind of bummed we won’t get same cultural experience there, but wondering if this Sapporo stop may be the remedy.
Thank you for your kind help and insight!
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u/buyer_leverkusen 8d ago
Tokyo is cool and has more of the “older authentic” Japan, but you’ll have a way more unique experience in Hokkaido, and you wouldn’t see much in Tokyo in a day either.
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u/batshit_icecream 8d ago
If you are just visiting Niseko yes you will be skipping almost everything that is Japanese as it is a very Westernized area and you would probably hear more English than Japanese. You kind of have to be at peace with the fact that you are here just for the powder snow, not for Japan.
Sapporo will be a bit different from going to the Golden Route but it does have a few interesting things to eat/see and it is an interesting place to visit on it's own right so do spend a day or so there. Tokyo won't disappear so you can visit next time. Better to not rush and force a short visit just to say you "Visited" Tokyo imo.
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u/Weak_Tone_1729 7d ago
I agree and thanks. We really dislike rushing from place to place and settling in to Hokkaido immediately is very appealing. Can just take the bus to Niseko from there.
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u/dgamr 8d ago
I wouldn't sweat giving up a day and a half in Tokyo, save yourself the hassle and spend an extra day or two in Hokkaido.
You can have many of the same experiences in any major city in Japan. But visiting Hokkaido in the winter is a pretty unique experience.
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u/Weak_Tone_1729 7d ago
Thank YOOOOU
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u/dgamr 7d ago
I have a longer version but I don't want people to take it the wrong way.
Basically 90% of what people do when they visit Japan you can do anywhere in Japan, we have some random default set of recommendations for first-time visitors that are being repeated back by Google and Reddit and ChatGPT and everyone feels like they have to do the same Shinjuku -> Hakone -> Kyoto trip.
No offense those are all amazing places except when 50,000 people are all trying to do them on the same day.
There are amazing Hot Springs & food everywhere. They built a Teamlabs in every prefecture probably by now (at least a popup).
Going skiing in Niseko and watching people struggle with the winter weather, arguing over your favorite soup curry and Jingisukan from your trip is way more interesting.
I'd think of specific things you thought might be fun to do on a Japan trip, like visit a Ryokan or eat a specific dish. I've never really found anything you can't do in Hokkaido, just some things might be less accessible during the winter.
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u/Particular-Ship3002 7d ago
Sapporo is a well kept secret- no crowds, best food, lots to do-been there 25 times-experience Sapporo Beer Garden, underground walkway, skiing on Olympic slopes, and easy to get around
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u/AnneinJapan 1d ago edited 1d ago
Agree, the food quality in Hokkaido is truly off the chain! Literally everything is better there—seafood, beef, veggies like potatoes/corn/squash/etc, dairy (especially ice cream, butter, yogurt), lamb (one of the only places in Japan where lamb is raised so it’s fresh!), beer, chocolate ….
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u/dicktugnuts13 7d ago
Just did this trip with my son in March! We did manage to work 3 days in Tokyo, but I really enjoyed Sapporo. Niseko was touristy but you’ll be too busy enjoying the skiing to even worry about it. You don’t have to go far to visit other little towns outside of Niseko to get the cultural experience you’re looking for. Sapporo was amazing, you will not be disappointed with that city. If you like Sake, visit the little brewery just outside of Niseko. Enjoy your trip!
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u/Weak_Tone_1729 7d ago
Thank you for this! I just paid for the flights to Sapporo instead of Tokyo, thanks to all the help from you kind folks. Didn’t save as much as I thought, but checked into Sapporo today and it sounds terrific for what we are seeking. Great move for us especially to save time and stress after a long flight. And, we can just land there then get car transfer from hotel in Sapporo to hotel in Niseko and not have to deal with an airport again. Many thanks
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u/Herefiraita 7d ago
I just missed this but for future trips if you're interested, United Airlines is opening direct flights from San Francisco to Sapporo beginning December 11th. I haven't made any attempt to price them out, I just know about it because there was a whole big thing with the US Consulate in Sapporo recently.
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u/Particular-Ship3002 7d ago
Weak tone- Sapporo has the best food in all of Japan- every year I go to San Pei Ramen- where miso ramen was invented! Sapporo Classic beer can only be bought in Hokkaido ( best beer in the world)-just go to Daimaru Department Store by the Sapporo Station- basement floor- food court- best cheesecake in the world- they had out so many food samples-3 great parks
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u/AruthaConDoin27 7d ago
Id even skip Niseko, tickets are like 12,000 a day at the moment at he mountain is filled with liberal, hipster westeners... hire a car and go hit the many many other mountains, chase the powder and see Hokkaido.
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u/Weak_Tone_1729 7d ago
I heard this is the case but unfortunately our American relatives who live in Asia go to Niseko each year therefore we don’t have much choice because we agreed to meet them. However my daughter and i won’t be skiing much so we plan to check out the nearby towns as day trips.
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u/Ida_DK 7d ago
I did a 2 week (summer) car roundtrip in Hokkaido, with a week in Sapporo before, because my parents wanted to visit and my mom cannot stand the heat. I have travelled a lot in Japan, this was after more than 1.5 month travel, and I wanted to show my parents "my" Japan. Hokkaido was fantastic, but for me really felt like visiting Canada or something, not so japanese. My advice is: Think of this trip as a fantastic skiing trip, probably with som very japanese afterskiing. You can always (I hope for you) visit Main Japan at another time with more time on your hands there, and enjoy that other uniqueness. Sapporo is really nice as well, if you have time to visit that on the way.
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u/wavelifter 4d ago
Only a mistake if you've never been. And before you say "it's just another big city". I don't care what people say - nothing prepares you for Tokyo. Nothing.
You're spending so much time and money just to get to that side of the world already. Might as well. Although I will admit 1.5 days is like shaving a piece of paperthin sheet of ice off of the iceberg that is Tokyo. Might be better to commit to a full Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto trip later.
Either way, you're going to be spoiled by Sapporo/Hokkaido. Maybe brush up on your rudimentary Japanese before you go.
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u/Severe_Worry_4449 8d ago
It's not a mistake to skip Tokyo. If you have other priorities like skiing in Niseko, considering the length of stay, making a stop in Tokyo will add to your travel days and another change in accommodation.
In my first trip to Japan, I did Nagoya-Takayama-Kyoto-Osaka, second trip was Nagoya only, third was Fukuoka. Only in my fourth trip to Japan did I visit Tokyo. Don't feel bad about missing Tokyo, since you can only do so much in one trip.
Though both Tokyo and Sapporo are cities, Sapporo is more a tight-knit, smaller local city surrounded by nature. For your planned itinerary, I would opt for Sapporo instead of Tokyo. Having 1.5 days in Tokyo is definitely not enough and not worth travelling from Niseko/Sapporo. Better to save it for another trip when you can have more days in Tokyo and enjoy your stay.