Winter Travel Guide and Precautions for Dressing in Hokkaido
🌟Dressing Guide
During winter in Hokkaido, the outdoor temperature can reach from several degrees below zero to more than ten degrees below zero, and may be accompanied by bitter cold winds, so it is very important to keep warm. However, indoors often have heating, and the temperature can generally reach twenty-something degrees, so dressing needs to be flexible according to the temperature.
✅Upper body: thermal underwear + sweater + down jacket. Uniqlo's ultra warm series of thermal underwear is sufficient, the thickness of the sweater can be determined based on personal cold resistance, and a down jacket with high warmth retention should be purchased. The down jacket can be removed after entering indoors.
✅Lower body: thermal pants + cold-proof pants, choose windproof and waterproof outer pants as much as possible, the lower part of the pants is particularly prone to getting wet from snow, if not particularly afraid of the cold, wearing thicker jeans and tucking the pants into boots is also okay.
✅Footwear: waterproof and slip-resistant snow boots + thick socks. Try to wear mid-calf or high-calf boots to prevent snow from pouring into the shoes when stepping into pits. In addition, slip resistance is very important, as some places can become very slippery after the snow turns into ice. Socks should be long enough to tuck into the warm pants. There is also a type of snow boots sold in Japan with a sole that provides better slip resistance on ice, but the actual effect is not very obvious, so there is no need to specifically buy that type of shoes.
✅Other: scarf + hat + mask + gloves. The hat must be able to cover the ears. The mask needs to be thicker, mainly for warmth rather than just virus prevention. In addition to being waterproof (can be used to play in the snow), it is recommended to buy gloves that can operate the phone touch screen, making it easier to take photos with the phone.
✅Glasses: It's best to apply anti-fog spray to prevent fogging, as the warm air exhaled after wearing a mask can easily fog up the glasses. In addition, glasses are also prone to fogging when moving between indoor and outdoor environments.
📝Notes
✅Once again, it is important to emphasize that slip-resistant shoes are important, but do not rely solely on the slip-resistant function of the shoes. In some places, almost everyone will slip, so be extra careful when walking on icy roads in the snow and pay attention to those icy surfaces.
✅If the hotel requires walking from the station, try to book the hotel with the shortest walking distance. It's very difficult to drag luggage in the snow, and walking with luggage is more likely to slip.
📍JR Sapporo Station is connected to a very long underground passage with many entrances and exits. It is recommended to book hotels near those entrances and exits.
📍There is a Four Points by Sheraton hotel next to JR Hakodate Station, just a few steps away from the station exit. The Hakodate Morning Market is also nearby, making it very convenient.
📍Famous hot spring hotels in Noboribetsu are easily accessible by bus, and some hotels even provide shuttle service from the JR station, which is quite convenient.
✅If you don't have experience driving in snowy conditions, don't rent a car. Self-driving can be quite dangerous. The JR Pass and a public transportation IC card (such as the Suica card) are sufficient. Note that some buses only accept cash, such as the Donan Bus in Noboribetsu.
✅When arranging the itinerary, be careful not to schedule outdoor activities for too long. Even if there are many outdoor plans, try to intersperse some indoor activities in between, including taking public transportation, visiting malls, supermarkets, and small shops, enjoying food, etc. These indoor activities can quickly warm up the body and prevent it from being in a cold state for a long time.
✅If you are renting ski equipment, it is best to take off your ski boots and rest for a while after skiing for one or two hours to avoid foot swelling and pain caused by wearing ski boots for too long.
✅Many snacks and pastries in Japan are limited to certain regions, seasons, or even stores. If you see something you like, buy it, or else you won't be able to find it elsewhere.
✅In winter, it generally gets dark after 4 pm in Japan. Try not to schedule daytime activities too late. Many shops close at 8 or 9 pm, and many restaurants have a last order at 9 pm.
It is a large aquatic market with local characteristics. It can be said that it is the kitchen of Hakodate, a paradise for tourists. Many super fresh seafood can be bought and directly let the store cook, and the price is very real. There are also many stalls selling dry goods.
When you come to Japan, you must not miss such a seafood aquatic market. Here you can choose your favorite ingredients. The most impressive thing is that you have poured a whole plate of sea urchins. This is really super ritual. The seafood is very fresh!
How can you not eat seafood when you come to Hakodate! There are a variety of seafood here, basically all fishing on the same day. The ingredients are super fresh and the price is relatively beautiful! Recommended seafood rice, the price is very high, especially the sea urchin, the creamy texture, the sweet and pure taste!
The market is not too big, clean and tidy, there are many kinds of goods such as seafood, and some can also try it. [Cost-effective] Generally
This is the place that the correspondence hall must go to. It has its favorite place to eat. The correspondence hall is facing the city. It opens at 5 or 6 a.m. every day and has its meals. The stall is closed at 2 p.m. They are the freshest fish catches in Hokkaido every day. They can play with their own cuttlefish and stab themselves again. They are fresh and sweet. But nothing can compare with the roast sea urchins here, sea urchins eat a lot, there is really no place like Hokkaido sea urchins sweet, roasted aroma, slippery entrance, first with a little milk fragrance, slowly sea urchins unique fresh sweet gush out, is excellent. Come to the correspondence hall for 3 days. Really check in at breakfast time every day. It's the day of living in heaven.
The seafood market of Hanguan must be missed. It's 2 minutes'walk from JR Hanguan Station. It's a relatively large area, including indoor, outdoor and open-air, as well as independent indoor doorways. It is suggested that we should transfer more information about the market before we start buying. It is very important to compare the goods with the three. Because there will be some shops specializing in hosting tours, not only foreign tours, but also domestic tours in Japan. The price is much higher than the normal price. The first shop we visited at that time was one like this. We bought a hairy crab for 10,000 yen and a snow crab leg for 6,500 yen. When we visited the open-air shop, we found that it was cheated. We went back to that shop immediately and showed the ticket and returned the hairy crab. Having bought fresh ingredients, we can take them to Chaoshi canteen for processing, which is inexpensive. There are also seafood rice sales, as long as 500 yen can taste fresh and rich seafood rice, super satisfied. Sea urchin is also a good food, generally 1000 yen a, can be eaten raw, or BBQ, feel that raw eating is the most delicious. Seafood addiction, buy some big grains of strawberries refreshing also good, usually a box is 800 yen.
Hakodate Chaoshi is the must-check attraction of Hakodate. It opens at 5 am to welcome the freshest seafood and fruit. Unfortunately, the buffet breakfast we enjoyed at the la vista hotel was too rich. I saw more delicious food but no longer had an appetite. I only bought a box of big strawberries. Not far from Hakodate, you can overlook the mountains in the distance. The scenery is beautiful.
Hanguan traditional Chaoshi is the three traditional markets of Hokkaido (Hanguan Chaoshi, Sapporo two markets, Zhaolu and commercial markets), located at the west exit of JR Hanguan Railway Station, with business hours ranging from 5:00 a.m. to 13:00 a.m. Hanguan Chaocheng City, the entire market is distributed in several blocks, along the road there are many vigorous seafood, mainly Hokkaido crabs.