From being met at the airport by our driver Hide san (who became like part of the family over the next 9 days) to saying goodbye to him at the end of our trip, I struggle to think of anything that failed to meet or exceed our expectations.

All the guides at our various activities were very friendly and hospitable, ensuring that we had the time to experience each activity to the fullest, answering any questions and obliging any requests our kids had (no matter how many or strange they might have been).

Our trip was filled with unexpected / unplanned experiences, thanks to our driver Hide san and all the other guides we had the pleasure of spending time with. From watching the fish auction from the auction floor, eating fresh abalone sashimi (straight from the fisherman’s boat about 5 minutes earlier) to being gifted fresh milk, cherry jam (as we drove through Niki Town and strawberry sorbet from Hide san at various stages of our travels, our family was pleasantly surprised throughout our 9 day trip from Hakodate to Asahikawa.

Our family’s love for fresh milk and ice cream was not overlooked by Hide san who made it his mission to bring us to at least one soft serve ice cream shop for our daily fix.

Our travel consultant Fumika was also amazing, helping us change our dinner reservations at the last minute on a couple occasions due to us running out of time (having too much fun with our activities) or being too exhausted from having so much fun, which just made everything flow so smoothly for us.

We will definitely be back in Hokkaido again!