Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [442]
Hokkaidō is best travelled by car – or better yet motorcycle – which is fortunate as public transport here leaves a lot to be desired. You’ll need lots of time to tackle this largely undeveloped landmass, but you’ll be rewarded with an outdoor experience unlike any other in Japan.
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HIGHLIGHTS
Drink freshly tapped beer straight from the source in Sapporo
Carve some serious volumes of perfect powder on the slopes at Niseko, or at any of the island’s other ski slopes
Chart a path through the wilderness in the massive national park of Daisetsuzan
Say goodbye to stress as you steam in sulphurous spas at Noboribetsu Onsen or at any of the region’s other onsen
Discover enormous and ancient balls of algae known as marimo in the mysterious caldera lakes of Akan National Park
Stroll through 19th-century streetscapes in historic Hakodate and Otaru
Head to the ‘end of the world’ in Shiretoko National Park
Take a plane or ferry out to the far-flung islands of Rishiri-Rebun-Sarobetsu National Park to photograph the summer wildflowers
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History
The Ainu, Hokkaidō’s indigenous people, have shaped this island’s history.
After the glaciers receded, the Ainu settled here and called the land Ainu Moshiri – Ainu meaning ‘human’ and Moshiri meaning ‘world’. Until the Edo period (1600–1868), the Ainu and Japanese remarkably had relatively little contact with each other. However, this changed when the Matsumae clan established a major foothold in southwestern Hokkaidō, and successfully bargained with the Ainu. They succeeded in creating a trade monopoly, which was lucrative for the clan, but would ultimately prove disastrous to the Ainu people.
By the end of the Edo period, trade and colonisation had begun in earnest, and by the time the Meiji Restoration began in 1868, the Ainu culture was under attack. Many Ainu customs were banned, women were forbidden to get tattoos, men were prohibited from wearing earrings and the Kaitakushi (Colonial Office) was created to encourage mainland Japanese people to migrate northward. When the Meiji period ended, the Ainu had become de facto second-class citizens, and by the start of the 20th century, the mainland Japanese population on the island topped one million.
With world attention focused on Hokkaidō when Sapporo hosted the 1972 Winter Olympics, Japan felt the need to ease restrictions on the Ainu. Sadly, however, it would take another 26 years before significant protections were written into law. Though marginalised for much of the past century, the Ainu have recently won recognition as an important part of Japanese cultural heritage, and are re-establishing themselves. Today, the Ainu are proudly continuing their traditions while still fighting for further recognition of their unique culture.
Hokkaidō’s main industries are forestry and agriculture. One look at the rolling farmlands and fields will convince anyone familiar with New England or Europe that Western farming styles were adopted. True enough, in some areas of Hokkaidō, you’d be forgiven for thinking that you were in the pastoral West rather than in Japan. The island is also a top supplier of some of Japan’s most revered delicacies, such as snow crab, salmon roe and sea urchin, and scenic kelp production is a major part of many small towns’ economies.
And, of course, Hokkaidō is a thriving tourist destination year-round!
Climate
Hokkaidō’s temperature ranges from warm and pleasant in summer to subzero and frigid in winter. Spring and early summer can be wet and miserable. The hiking season runs from May through to October,