Table of Contents：
1. Welcome to Treasure Island!
2. Beyond the Booking: A Journey Designed Around You
3. Who Are Your Travel Designers?
4. Your Hokkaido, Your Reasons, Your Journey
5. What It Means to Know Hokkaido Deeply
6. What Does Travel Mean to You?
Welcome to Treasure Island!
But what kind of treasure can you find here?
Not gold or jewels, but something far more valuable: stories shared by local people, traditions passed down through generations, breathtaking landscapes, remarkable craftsmanship, and experiences that can only be found in one special place—Hokkaido.
This is the meaning behind the name Hokkaido Treasure Island Travel.
I have had the opportunity to work with many different travel companies as a private guide, each with its own strengths, values, and character. Yet Hokkaido Treasure Island has always held a special place in my heart.
Why has this company remained so special to me? Because it is more than a travel company—I would say it is a travel design company.
I have written several columns for the company about the many charms of this incredible island. This time, however, I would like to take a slightly different approach: to introduce Hokkaido Treasure Island Travel itself and share the story behind its name. It is a company that has inspired me throughout my journey as a guide.
Perhaps you came to this page while searching for a trip to Hokkaido. Maybe you have travelled with Hokkaido Treasure Island before. Or perhaps you are simply curious about Hokkaido and want to discover what makes this island so special. Whatever brought you here, I hope this article will help you discover another side of travelling in Hokkaido.
So, what exactly is Hokkaido Treasure Island Travel?
Since its founding in 2007, Hokkaido Treasure Island has spent nearly two decades discovering the hidden treasures of Hokkaido and developing more than 1,300 unique experiences throughout the island. These experiences are not simply activities to fill an itinerary. They are the foundation for creating deeply personal journeys designed around each traveller.
Behind every journey is a strong connection with local communities, a deep understanding of Hokkaido, and experienced travel designers who know how to transform these discoveries into meaningful experiences. Each journey is created by considering the traveller’s interests, dreams, curiosity, pace, and the kind of memories they hope to take home.
The company’s dedication to creating authentic and high-quality travel experiences has also gained international recognition. Hokkaido Treasure Island has participated in the International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) Cannes, one of the world’s most prestigious luxury travel events, where both exhibitors and buyers are selected through a strict invitation and screening process.
For me, however, what makes Hokkaido Treasure Island truly special is not only its achievements: it is the philosophy behind every journey.
Through my own experience, I have come to believe that travel is not only about the places we visit or the things we see. The encounters with people, the stories we hear, and the connections we make often become the most precious memories of a journey.
Creating those meaningful encounters requires care not only for travellers but also for the places and communities that welcome them. A truly valuable journey should protect the natural environment, preserve local traditions, and create a positive connection between visitors and residents.
This is another reason I admire Hokkaido Treasure Island. Through its involvement with the Japan Alliance of Responsible Travel Agencies (JARTA), the company continues to work toward creating a new style of travel where both travellers and local communities can share value and grow together.
So next, let’s explore how the Treasure Island philosophy develops an actual journey.
Beyond the Booking: A Journey Designed Around You
What does travel mean to you?
Is it discovering breathtaking scenery? Savouring unforgettable local cuisine? Escaping the routine of everyday life? Gaining a fresh perspective—or perhaps even discovering something new about yourself?
Today, it is easier than ever to find places to visit, restaurants to try, and tours to join online. Having so many choices is certainly a wonderful thing. With just a few clicks, you can research destinations, compare options, and create an itinerary that seems perfect on paper.
You can also speak with a travel agent and choose tours that fit your interests from a selection of ready-made options. You might visit a travel expo, discover places you have never heard of, and make arrangements for your trip there and then. Once everything has been booked and your itinerary is set, all that remains is to wait for the day your journey begins.
But after years of travelling, have you ever found yourself thinking: “This time, I want to experience something truly different.”
Or perhaps the itinerary looks perfect, but something is missing. Maybe you want more human interaction. Maybe you want to slow down and experience a place rather than simply move from one attraction to the next. Or maybe you look at a ready-made itinerary and think: “Is it really the right trip for me?”
If you have ever felt that way, I would like to introduce a different way of travelling—one that goes beyond simply visiting famous places. Because there is another way to travel.
After working alongside the team for many years, I have come to realize that they rarely begin by asking, “Where would you like to go?” Instead, they ask, “What kind of journey would you like to experience?”
That single difference changes everything. Rather than fitting travellers into a predefined itinerary, they begin with the traveller—their interests, dreams, curiosity, travel style, and pace—and design the journey around them.
In other words, you don’t simply choose a trip. You create your journey through a conversation with a travel designer.
You may want to travel at your own pace, without having to follow someone else’s schedule. You may prefer not to share your journey with a group of strangers. Or you may simply want a trip that feels as though it was created especially for you.
This leads to another important difference: the journey is completely private. You don’t share the vehicle, schedule, or itinerary with other travellers. There is no need to adjust your plans to fit a group or follow a schedule designed for someone else. Instead, the journey unfolds at your pace, according to what matters most to you.
Although the destination may be the same, the journey doesn’t have to be.
Perhaps the easiest way to understand this philosophy is to imagine dining at a fine restaurant. Instead of choosing a dish from a set menu, imagine sitting down with a chef who begins by asking about your tastes, your interests, and the kind of dining experience you are hoping for. Together, you explore seasonal ingredients and local specialties. Then, based on that conversation, the chef creates a dish especially for you.
That is the philosophy behind a fully customised private journey with Hokkaido Treasure Island Travel.
Your dedicated travel designer takes the time to understand what matters to you and brings those ideas together into an itinerary created specifically for you. The result is not simply a trip that matches your preferences on paper, but a journey that reflects who you are and how you want to experience Hokkaido.
That is why I don’t think of Hokkaido Treasure Island Travel simply as a travel agency, but as a travel design company—one that doesn’t simply sell trips, but creates journeys as individual as the travellers themselves.
Of course, today, it is possible to find almost anything online and put together your own itinerary. And there is nothing wrong with that. In fact, discovering places and planning a trip for yourself can be an exciting part of the travel experience.
But there is a difference between choosing a trip and having a journey designed around you.
Every traveller is different. And treasures await the traveller who chooses to look beyond the ordinary.
Who Are Your Travel Designers?
So, who are the travel designers who make your journey truly unforgettable?
You might be wondering: “With Google Maps, I can go anywhere. AI can create the perfect itinerary. Why do I need a real person?”
To be honest, I ask myself the very same question whenever I travel. With nothing more than a smartphone, I can find my way, discover highly rated restaurants, make reservations, and build an itinerary that looks perfect on paper.
But sometimes even a trip that looks perfect on paper doesn’t turn out that way. A restaurant you were looking forward to may unexpectedly be closed. The weather may not be what you had hoped for. These unexpected moments are simply part of travel—and under different circumstances, they might even become part of the fun.
But when every part of your trip is tightly scheduled, an unexpected closure or change in weather can feel like it throws everything off. Instead of having the mental space to enjoy what happens along the way, you may find yourself worrying about how to get back on schedule and make it to the next destination.
And sometimes, it is not an unexpected event at all. On some tours, you may be rushed through a place you wanted to spend more time enjoying, simply because you have to keep up with the schedule. You may arrive at a beautiful place, but before you have really had a chance to take it in, it is already time to move on.
You may come home having visited every place on the itinerary, taken all the photos you imagined, enjoyed the restaurants everyone recommended, and returned exactly as scheduled. And yet…
Sometimes, I come home with the feeling that something was missing. Maybe I saw everything I was supposed to see, but never really had the time to experience a place at my own pace. Maybe the itinerary was perfect, but the journey itself didn’t feel quite like mine.
And that is when I began to wonder: What if there were another way to travel?
What I was really hoping for was something I could never have planned: an unexpected conversation with a local, the story behind a place, a recommendation that never appears on Google Maps, or a moment that makes me stop and think, “I’m so glad I came.”
That’s when I realized something important. A journey is made not only of the places you visit, but also of genuine human connections, unexpected moments, and discoveries. Some of the most memorable experiences come from real encounters—things you find only because someone with an in-depth knowledge of a place knows where to look.
That is exactly what our travel designers at Hokkaido Treasure Island Travel strive to create.
Knowing that there is a real person beside you—someone who understands your interests, listens to your ideas, and genuinely cares about your experience—creates a kind of confidence that no app or AI can provide. They don’t simply help you visit Hokkaido; they help you experience it in a way that is personal, meaningful, and uniquely yours.
Now, let me introduce my trusted travel companions.
Mari
Mari has an exceptional knowledge of eastern Hokkaido, a region celebrated for its untamed wilderness and rich local food culture. She also specialises in designing journeys for multi-generational families, creating experiences that grandparents, parents, and children can all enjoy together. Read her story here → [From Osaka’s Bright Lights to Hokkaido’s Wild North: A Travel Pro’s Guide to Japan’s Final Frontier]
Kentaro
Born and raised in Hokkaido, Kentaro’s love for his home is unmistakable. His passion shines through as he introduces travellers to Hokkaido’s remarkable culinary traditions and craftsmanship, helping them discover the people and stories behind them. Read his story here → [From Portland to Sapporo: Why This Travel Consultant Wants You to “Eat the Story” of Hokkaido]
Miwa
With many years in the hospitality industry, including extensive international experience, Miwa understands the expectations of overseas travellers better than most. She has a particular talent for helping European guests experience the beauty and tranquillity of Hokkaido’s winter landscapes in a way that resonates deeply with them. Read her story here → [A Trip to Hokkaido Begins With a Love of Baseball]
Maki
Maki believes that extraordinary dining experiences enrich both everyday life and travel. She specialises in creating unforgettable journeys for couples, honeymoons, anniversaries, and other once-in-a-lifetime celebrations, where every detail contributes to lasting memories. Read her story here → [From Northern Brews to Anime Pilgrimages: Drive Around Hokkaido with Maki Sasaya]
Although each travel designer has their own specialties, they all have three things in common: they are English-speaking professionals, fully qualified, and proud residents of Hokkaido.
From your very first inquiry until the day your journey comes to an end, you’ll work with the same travel designer throughout the entire process. That continuity means you’ll always have someone who understands your preferences and is there to support you every step of the way.
Many of our guests stay in touch long after they return home. Some come back to plan another adventure with the same travel designer—almost as if they were reconnecting with an old friend.
So, which travel designer will become your travel companion?
I hope the thought of that alone fills you with a sense of excitement.
Your Hokkaido, Your Reasons, Your Journey
You’re here because you want something more than an ordinary trip to Hokkaido. Perhaps there’s something very specific you want to experience, a particular reason for your journey, or simply a feeling you want your time in Hokkaido to have.
Whatever brought you here, you need someone who will listen, understand what you’re looking for, and help you discover the Hokkaido that is truly yours.
And that is precisely why Hokkaido Treasure Island Travel exists.
They begin by listening to what you really want to experience, and then explore how to make it happen—drawing on their relationships with local artisans, hotels, guides, drivers, and other local partners throughout Hokkaido. This can be especially valuable when different generations or different interests come together in one journey.
Imagine, for example, a multi-generational family trip. The grandparents may want to travel at a relaxed pace, with plenty of time to enjoy each place. The children, on the other hand, may want to be outdoors—moving, exploring, and trying exciting activities. And then there are the parents in the middle.
What should we prioritise? How long will it take to get from one place to another? Will everyone be comfortable with the schedule? How can we make the most of our precious time without making the trip exhausting?
These are exactly the kinds of questions many travellers bring to Hokkaido Treasure Island Travel.
This is where in-depth local knowledge can make a real difference. A travel designer can bring all these needs together and create a journey that works for everyone—from the youngest traveller to the oldest.
Your journey may also be for a particularly special occasion: a milestone birthday, an anniversary, a family celebration, or simply a trip you have dreamed about for years. For these occasions, it is often the little details that become the most memorable.
Because Hokkaido Treasure Island Travel has long-standing relationships with hotels, guides, drivers, and local partners throughout Hokkaido, your travel designer can work with you to decide where and when a surprise might be most meaningful.
Something special might be waiting for you at dinner. Perhaps a special place has been arranged just for you. A private glass-blowing experience might be waiting along the way. And when the moment arrives, the people supporting your journey can make it happen at exactly the right time.
These details don’t come from a checklist. They emerge through conversations. By listening to what you love, what you want to celebrate, and what you have always dreamed of doing, your travel designer discovers the elements that can turn an ordinary itinerary into something truly personal.
And sometimes, what you are looking for is something that nature offers only for a brief moment.
Drifting sea ice.
Red-crowned cranes in the winter landscape.
White-tailed eagles soaring overhead.
Or, if you are fortunate, a glimpse of a brown bear in the wild.
These encounters aren’t something you can simply find by adding a destination to an itinerary. Season, weather, timing, location, and local knowledge all matter. Hokkaido Treasure Island Travel can draw on years of knowledge and local connections to consider where and when you have the best opportunity to experience what you are looking for.
Maybe you have another wish: “I want to take an incredible photograph of that landscape.”
Then let’s think about it together. Where can you find the scenery you have in mind? When is the best time to see it? Can it realistically be incorporated into your journey?
Rather than simply telling you what is available, your travel designer listens to what you want to experience and works with you to explore how it might become possible.
Of course, every traveller is different. You may have religious requirements, accessibility needs, dietary considerations, mobility concerns, or some other specific need that must be taken into account. Such things are all part of designing a journey around the individual traveller.
Hokkaido Treasure Island Travel also provides support for travellers who require individualised assistance, helping to create journeys that are comfortable, meaningful, and enjoyable.
And perhaps, as you read this, you are thinking: “That sounds wonderful, but what I want is probably impossible.”
Maybe you have already imagined a trip that doesn’t seem to fit into any ordinary itinerary. Don’t give up before you ask. A consultation is completely free, and talking with the team does not mean you have to make a reservation. Tell them what you are dreaming of. Tell them what you have always wanted to experience—even if you think it is too complicated, too unusual, or simply impossible.
Sometimes, a journey begins with nothing more than a conversation.
What It Means to Know Hokkaido Deeply
If you want to create a truly personal journey, an in-depth knowledge of Hokkaido matters.
But there is something you may not expect to find behind a travel company like Hokkaido Treasure Island Travel.
Alongside its travel division, Hokkaido Treasure Island Travel has a Regional Tourism Development Department—a team dedicated to working with communities and developing tourism across Hokkaido. This is not simply a department that supports the travel business. Regional tourism development is an important part of what Hokkaido Treasure Island Travel does, and is one of the things that makes Hokkaido Treasure Island Travel different.
As a local guide, I have had the opportunity to work not only with the travel team, but also alongside members of this department as a regional expert. They are not the people who directly design your itinerary. Instead, they work behind the scenes—and, in many ways, serve as a bridge between travellers and the communities that welcome them.
They have spent years working with the people, businesses, and communities that make Hokkaido what it is. Through this work, their understanding of the region goes far beyond simply knowing where to take a traveller. They don’t simply know Hokkaido as a destination. They understand it through the people who live and work here, the stories behind the places, and the communities that make each region what it is.
Their work begins long before a tour appears on a website.
They travel to small towns and villages throughout Hokkaido, including some of the island’s northernmost and most remote communities, such as Wakkanai, Rishiri Island, and Rebun Island. They spend time there with local residents, listening to their stories, learning about their way of life, and exploring a simple but important question:
“What could we share with travellers that they could only experience here?”
From there, they work together with local people to create new experiences from scratch.
This process can take time. For more than 15 years, the team has also built and maintained relationships with specialist guides across Hokkaido—in areas ranging from Daisetsuzan and Lake Toya to eastern Hokkaido, including Shiretoko, Akan, Kushiro, and Abashiri.
Their network covers a remarkable range of expertise: birdwatching, national parks, marine wildlife, winter ecosystems, and many other aspects of Hokkaido’s natural environment. Working together with these specialists, they transform an idea into a meaningful travel experience.
But creating a tour is not simply about finding something interesting and offering it to travellers.
Before an experience is introduced to visitors, the Regional Tourism Development Department works closely with the travel team to make sure that it is something travellers can genuinely enjoy—and something the local community is proud to share.
That process is especially important when the experience takes place outside the familiar tourist routes. Of course, Hokkaido has many wonderful and well-known destinations: Sapporo, Furano, Biei, Hakodate, and many others. But beyond these familiar destinations, they can offer travellers opportunities to experience local treasures that have never traditionally been considered “tourism.”
This is not simply a matter of arranging a visit to an existing attraction. It means building relationships, creating something together with local communities, and sometimes opening doors that would have been closed to travellers in the past.
Over the years, this approach has made experiences possible that would be difficult to find elsewhere.
You might spend time with fishermen in Rausu, on the Shiretoko Peninsula, experiencing their way of life and learning about the sea that sustains their community.
You might stay with a local farming family in Furano and experience life on a Hokkaido farm.
Or perhaps you might wake up early to enjoy a beautiful morning view at a small dairy farm—somewhere you would never find simply by searching a map.
These are not experiences created simply by putting together existing sightseeing spots. They have been built through years of relationships, conversations, and collaborations with people who actually live and work in these places.
And that, to me, is one of the clearest answers to the question: How deeply do they know Hokkaido?
They know it not only by knowing where to take travellers. They know it by knowing the people who live there, the stories they want to share, the places that remain hidden from ordinary visitors, and the communities that make each region what it is.
I have seen this process at close hand, and I believe you can feel the difference yourself when you experience one of these journeys. Because sometimes, the most memorable places in Hokkaido are not the ones you can find on a map. They are the ones someone has taken the time to open the door to.
By now, you may have noticed that a journey with Hokkaido Treasure Island Travel is not necessarily the cheapest option.
The experiences they create are built on relationships that have taken many years to develop—and, just as importantly, many more years to maintain. A relationship with a local artisan, a guide, a farmer, a fisherman, a hotel, or a small community cannot simply be created overnight. This is fundamentally different from simply arranging existing services and putting them together into an itinerary.
The time, care, and relationships behind each journey naturally have an impact on its cost. But the work does not end there.
Long before the day of your trip arrives, your dedicated travel designer begins a dialogue with you. They listen to your ideas, ask questions, research possibilities, make suggestions, adjust the itinerary with you, and take care of the countless arrangements needed to bring everything together. From your first inquiry until the end of your journey, your travel designer is always there for you, making sure that the details are carefully considered and that the journey continues to reflect what you want.
And when the day finally arrives, you are not simply handed an itinerary and sent on your way. Hokkaido Treasure Island Travel’s journeys are fully private, with a private vehicle, professional driver, and licensed guide supporting you throughout your journey. The travel designer who has been working with you from the very beginning remains connected to your journey all the way through.
All of this requires time, people, knowledge, and care.
So, no—Hokkaido Treasure Island Travel may not be the cheapest option.
But for the right traveller, that may not be what matters most.
Perhaps you will find yourself thinking, “This is exactly the trip I had imagined.” Or perhaps, “This is the experience I’ve been waiting for.”
When a journey makes you feel that way, its value can go far beyond its price.
That is why I don’t believe Hokkaido Treasure Island Travel is necessarily the right choice for every traveller.
If your priority is to see as many sights as possible efficiently while staying within a particular budget, there may be other options that suit your needs better. And that’s perfectly fine.
Hokkaido Treasure Island Travel exists for travellers who have decided that this particular journey matters. For travellers who don’t simply want to visit Hokkaido, but want to experience it in a way that feels personal, meaningful, and truly their own. That is what I believe the company takes pride in—and what they bring to every journey they create.
Ultimately, the value of a journey is something only you can decide. Perhaps, at the end of your trip, you will simply find yourself thinking: “This was worth it.”
What Does Travel Mean to You?
There is one thing we hope every traveller who comes to Hokkaido with Hokkaido Treasure Island Travel will discover: a new favourite something.
We have heard from customers who were touched when someone greeted them by name from the moment they arrived, making them feel as though they were meeting an old friend. Others have told us how much it meant that their travel designer remembered their mother’s birthday, something they had casually mentioned while planning their trip.
These may seem like small details. But sometimes, these are exactly the moments that make a journey special. Sometimes, it is an unexpected moment that becomes the most memorable part of a journey.
A completely private journey. A fully customised itinerary. Complete support from beginning to end.
It is the rare combination of all three that makes these journeys possible.
In an age of technology and efficiency, we believe that genuine human encounters are more valuable than ever. Meeting real people in the places you visit. Discovering something that could never have been found simply by following a map. And, beyond the trip itself, spending time together creating an experience that is truly yours.
That is what we treasure most.
If you are looking for that kind of travel companion, we would be happy to hear from you.
From the very first conversation to the final day of your journey, your travel designer will be there to help create a Hokkaido experience that is truly yours.
This is our invitation to you: come and experience your own journey through Hokkaido. I hope that, from there, you will discover Hokkaido as seen through your own eyes.
We will always be waiting for you on Treasure Island.
