Hi folks,
I'm currently planning out a solo Japan trip (primarily Hokkaido with a small stop in Tokyo at the tail end) during late Jan/early Feb 2026 and wanted to get some feedback on how realistic the following itinerary seems in terms of pace:
| Day | Home Base | Activities |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sapporo | Arrive at CTS (AM) –> Check into Sapporo lodging –> Explore Sapporo/relax |
| 2 | Sapporo | Day trip to Otaru/Yoichi to visit Nikka Distillery (tour) + Wine Bars/Shops (Banachu and Nakane are the places I've been eyeing, hopefully try/find some Domaine Takahiko) |
| 3-7 | Furano/Asahidake | Bus to Furano –> Check into Furano lodging –> Boarding around Furano + Asahidake (multi-day guide tour through Summit Ski or Ichica Guide Service with a focus on lift-accessible sidecountry/off-piste or intermediate touring) |
| 8 | Memanbetsu | AM Bus/Train to Memanbetsu –> Check into Memanbetsu lodging –> Ice Smelt Fishing @ Lake Abashiri –> Memanbetsu Onsen |
| 9 | Memanbetsu | Day trip to Utoro for Drift Ice Walk (fingers crossed) and Shiretoko snowshoeing (if time permits) |
| 10 | Shibuya | Fly from MMB to HND –> Check into Shibuya lodging –> Benfiddich/Spirits Sunface/B&F/Cocktail Gastronomy Kyu Yasui (BenFiddich if lucky…) |
| 11 | Shibuya | Explore Shimokitazawa/Daikanyama during the day –> TeamLAB Borderless –> Pizza (Savoy, PST, Strada, or Marumo) |
| 12 | Shibuya | Akihabara/Taito City/Ueno day (Morning Yoshinoya –> Taito City/Ueno for simply walking around and taking in the sights/sounds –> Akihabara for claw games and figures –> Figure out dinner |
| 13 | Shibuya/Home | AM – Explore Shibuya (Cune, Studio D'Artisan), PM – Fly from HND to Home |
There are some parts of the itinerary that I'm debating on changing up and would like your guys' thoughts, epecially if you've done some of these activities/visited these areas:
- Day 2 from Sapporo – For the Yoichi/Otaru day trip, is Otaru worth a few hours to stop through/walk around? Yoichi definitely interests me with the wineries and Nikka Distillery, but Otaru hasn't really stood out to me from my research (the glassworks part is what interests me the most).
- Days 8/9 for Memanbetsu – For those of y'all who've done any of the drift ice walk/tour, Shiretoko snowshoeing, or ice smelt fishing – what was your experience? I'm debating if it may be better to cut that out and spend more time snowboarding (at Teine Highlands/Kiroro) or do other adventurous/naturey activities around Sapporo instead to "simplify" the commuting part of the trip a bit more.
- Day 11 from Shibuya – Kichijoji is catching my eye for the various ceramics shops over there. Have any of y'all found it worth the further trip out (was thinking about tying it in with exploring Shimokitazawa + Daikanyama)? Or would spending some time in Kappabashi accomplish the same?
Thanks all! 🙂
by Im_big_head