Otaru

I was going from Sapporo to Hakodate, so I bought a five-day JR pass for 22,000 yen, which was quite expensive. But I was guaranteed a seat in the reserved area, so it was acceptable!

The time allotted for each stop was sufficient, and all the scenery was beautiful. There were often queues for lunch, so it's recommended to have a hearty breakfast and bring some snacks to eat at different attractions, as eating is not allowed on the bus. Farm Tomita has a restaurant with good curry rice, and they also sell ice cream and cantaloupe. Allocating 15-20 minutes more at Shikisai-no-Oka would be better, as you can try local food. Due to the long queues and rain, the time spent at Aoike and Shirasu was significantly shortened. Since the group members automatically returned to the bus earlier, the time wasn't made up for at the next attraction, effectively shortening the total sightseeing time. However, the traffic was smooth, and the group members were punctual, so we ended the tour about 45 minutes earlier than scheduled. Our guide, Coco, was very nice and professional. The only downside was that there were noisy children in the group, making it difficult to sleep on the bus.

Buying tickets on your phone at the aquarium entrance was super convenient, saving you time queuing on-site. Just show your QR code to enter. The ocean view in the marine mammal park was beautiful, and the penguins and walruses were so cute and therapeutic. The rest area was also very comfortable and convenient. A fantastic and well worth a visit!

I've used many eSIMs before, but this is the first one that's so easy to install, affordable, and fast... It was the best!

Departing from Sapporo Station, the group consisted of 5 people. The driver, who also served as the leader, had a hard time driving, as the journey was long and the return to the Sapporo meeting point was required. Although the stops at each point were short, the smell of sulfur at Jigokudani (Hell Valley) was like rotten eggs. Lake Toya, according to the driver and guide, is an unfrozen lake with magnificent scenery. Showa Shinzan is an active volcano, and lunch was at our own expense. We could then decide how much time we had for eating, shopping, and sightseeing. Otaru has a quaint old-world charm and beautiful canal scenery. We could also manage our time for shopping, taking photos, and sightseeing before heading back to the pick-up point. The itinerary was tight, with long travel times, making it a rather whirlwind day trip.