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Base yourself in a town with good food and a hill close by

Most Hokkaido place names come from the Ainu language, so each of these 28 towns carries its original meaning alongside where to eat, what to do on a storm day and how to get around.

Places to base yourself · 拠点

Akaigawa post office has white walls and a peaked glass gable

village

Akaigawa

43°05′ N 140°49′ Epop. 1,475

赤井川ブルーノ・プラス / Wikimedia Commons
Mt. Oakan rises over Lake Akan as a sightseeing boat passes a wooded island

onsen town

Akan

43°26′ N 144°06′ EOnsen town

阿寒663highland / Wikimedia Commons
Snow covers the rooftops of Asahikawa with the Daisetsuzan range on the horizon

city

Asahikawa

43°46′ N 142°21′ Epop. 312,209

旭川Cuvii / Unsplash
Three bare trees stand on the snow-covered hills around Biei in March

town

Biei

43°35′ N 142°28′ Epop. 9,143

美瑛Héloïse Appourchaux / Unsplash
New Chitose Airport from the air, its runways cleared through snow

city

Chitose

42°49′ N 141°39′ Epop. 97,032

千歳A Win / Unsplash
Snow-heavy log cabins of Ningle Terrace in a Furano forest

city

Furano

43°21′ N 142°23′ Epop. 19,394

富良野Sung Jin Cho / Unsplash
Snow outlines the star-shaped moats of Goryokaku fort in Hakodate

city

Hakodate

41°46′ N 140°44′ Epop. 232,760

函館Natasha Jenny / Unsplash
Snow-covered Mt. Asahidake rises behind the inns of Asahidake Onsen in winter

town

Higashikawa

43°42′ N 142°31′ Epop. 8,695

東川user:ほくなん / Wikimedia Commons

28 towns and neighbourhoods

Akaigawa post office has white walls and a peaked glass gable
A clock tower rises over Akaigawa village hall behind a bed of red flowers

Akaigawa

Sapporo

VillagePop. 1,475Sapporo

Mt. Oakan rises over Lake Akan as a sightseeing boat passes a wooded island
Carved wooden shopfronts line the main street of the Ainu Kotan in Akan

Akan

Far edges

Onsen townFar edges

Snow covers the rooftops of Asahikawa with the Daisetsuzan range on the horizon
Traffic moves along a downtown Asahikawa street during a morning snowfall

Asahikawa

Furano

CityPop. 312,209Furano

Three bare trees stand on the snow-covered hills around Biei in March
Shirogane Falls cuts through snowy banks above the Biei River in winter

Biei

Furano

TownPop. 9,143Furano

Snow covers the rooftops of Asahikawa with the Daisetsuzan range on the horizonCuvii / Unsplash

From the journal6 min read

Is Asahikawa the right base for riding central Hokkaido?

Asahikawa puts five ski areas within about an hour and a quarter of one hotel room, and the city's shoyu ramen is waiting when you get back. Here's how far each hill sits and what the commute costs.

Hokkaido43°27′N 142°39′E
Read the story
New Chitose Airport from the air, its runways cleared through snow
Snow is piled outside the Salmon Museum in Chitose on a grey winter day

Chitose

Sapporo

CityPop. 97,032Sapporo

Snow-heavy log cabins of Ningle Terrace in a Furano forest
Snow-covered peaks of the Tokachi range under a clear blue sky near Furano

Furano

Furano

CityPop. 19,394Furano

Snow outlines the star-shaped moats of Goryokaku fort in Hakodate
Snow covers the rooftops and streets of Hakodate seen from above

Hakodate

South

CityPop. 232,760South

Snow-covered Mt. Asahidake rises behind the inns of Asahidake Onsen in winter
A red brick warehouse marked No5 sits in deep snow in Higashikawa under a blue sky

Higashikawa

Furano

TownPop. 8,695Furano

A snowboarder walks a street in Hirafu through heavy snowfall
Two riders on a chairlift above the snowy roofs of Hirafu village

Hirafu

Niseko

Resort villageNiseko

Fishing boats in Iwanai harbour with snow-covered Iwanai-dake rising behind
Ski runs cut through bare forest on the snowy flanks of Iwanai-dake under a blue sky

Iwanai

Niseko

TownPop. 10,644Niseko

Snow lines a quiet street of inns and shops in Jozankei Onsen in January
The gabled hall of Jozankei Shrine stands among snow-laden firs

Jozankei

Sapporo

Onsen townSapporo

Snowy fields and birch trees face the white Tokachi range from a Kamifurano viewpoint
The snow-covered Tokachi-dake range rises behind winter farmland near Kamifurano

Kamifurano

Furano

TownPop. 9,484Furano

All 28 towns and neighbourhoods from A to Z