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[Refreshing Vacation Travel Diary] I left work for two weeks and went to Hokkaido

2025.08.28

table of contents

1 What is a refreshing vacation?
2 How do you spend your holidays?
3 Destination: Hokkaido
4 Let's go to Hokkaido!
5 Interesting things I found in Hokkaido
6 lastly

Hello. I'm Nomura from the System Development Department, aka Beyond's Slacker Demon.

...No, I wasn't slacking off.
I took advantage of the refreshment leave system and went on a trip to Hokkaido (this is in 2023...).
It's been over 20 years since I started working, but this was the first time I'd taken a two-week long vacation. I
was a little worried that I might not be able to return to work, but I took the time to relax.

What is a refreshing vacation?

If you're wondering what the Refresh Vacation System is,
this blog post .
Simply put, it's a two-week vacation system that you receive for every five years of service. You'll even receive a 100,000 yen bonus. That's generous!

How do you spend your holidays?

Well, I was excitedly thinking about what to do for the next two weeks, but
my father has been saying for a while that he wants to go on a long trip with me.
"I don't think we'll have many opportunities to go on a trip together before we die... (glances)"
he threatened, so I decided to dedicate this vacation to my father.
I'm a bad son who hasn't been very filial to my parents, so I thought I'd give it to him for once.

Destination: Hokkaido

So, at my father's request, we decided to go on a trip to Hokkaido together. It was a 7-day, 6-night trip.

Before we left, my father made a travel itinerary for us in Excel.

My father's handmade itinerary. Isn't he putting too much effort into it?

On the first day, we started in Sapporo, then crossed Hokkaido east to Shiretoko. We then went down to Kushiro and then crossed west to Muroran.
That was the plan, but on the way back, I decided to go back to Fukui with my father, and since we had some extra time, we decided to go further west to Hakodate, which wasn't on our original plan.
We traveled all the way from one end of Hokkaido to the other by car, covering a total distance of over 1,000km, which was quite a tough journey.
I had intended to drive, but my father wouldn't let go of the wheel, so I ended up driving alone until the end. My father is 73, but he's in good spirits...

Let's go to Hokkaido!

My father took the car from Fukui Prefecture to Tomakomai Higashi by ferry, and I, who live in Yokohama, flew from Narita Airport to Chitose Airport.
We met up at Chitose Airport and began our trip to Hokkaido.

*The Ainu names for each place are written in parentheses. However, there are multiple theories about the origin of the word, and pronunciation can be complicated, so please use this information as a reference only.

Sapporo

When you think of Sapporo, you think of the clock tower (?)

Daisetsuzan Sounkyo and Mount Kuro (Nutakukamu Ushupe)

Galaxy Falls. Feel the universe.

Near Daisetsuzan National Park, right in the center of Hokkaido.

Memanbetsu (Memanpet) ~ Abashiri

Memanbetsu Fairy Tale Hill. This kind of format is typical of Hokkaido.

Abashiri Prison, familiar from Golden Kamuy. It was too early and we couldn't enter...

Shiretoko

Shiretoko Five Lakes. It's a bit of a walk, but the air is so fresh!

Shiretoko Pass Observatory. You can see Kunashiri Island across the sea. This is the "eastern edge" of Hokkaido that we visited on this trip. From here, we will cross Hokkaido again, visiting various places.

Lake Mashu (Kamui To)

Lake Mashu. It is said to have the highest transparency in Japan. I can't get close to it, but if possible, I'd like to swim there once.

Kawayu Hot Springs (Sesekipets)

Early in the morning, I went for a run from the inn. This straight road is the epitome of Hokkaido.

This is Kawayu Onsen, where you can enjoy sulfurous hot springs.

A typical Hokkaido souvenir shop in Kawayu Onsen (unfortunately, it was closed).

Mount Io (Atosanupuri)

My personal recommendation is Mount Io. The sulfur prevents most of the trees from growing around it.

You can get very close to the sulfur vapors spewing out.

Lake Kussharo

Lake Kussharo. If you dig into the sand, you can find hot spring water called a sand bath! If you put your mind to it, you might even be able to create your own private open-air bath...! Apparently, many swans fly in from November to April.

And... speaking of Lake Kussharo, there's Kushy! ...Huh? You don't know that!? Please read Monthly Moo and learn more.

Lake Akan

Take a boat trip around Lake Akan.

Lake Akan is famous for its marimo! Unlike the small ones sold as souvenirs, here you can see giant marimo the size of a volleyball.

Kushiro Marsh (Kushuru)

Kushiro Marsh. It's hard to convey in a photo, but it's a vast marshland. This scenery can probably only be seen in Hokkaido.

Lake Shikotsu

Lake Shikotsu. The sunset was beautiful.

Hakodate (Usukeshi)

The Red Brick Warehouse is well known in Yokohama, but there is also one in Hakodate.

Hakodateyama Observatory. The weather was bad so the view wasn't great... and then we were hit by a downpour.

Goryokaku (model)

We also took a stroll inside Goryokaku (the real one).

Tomakomai - Ferry

On the way back, I took a ferry to Fukui. Contrary to my childhood image, the ship was clean and had a game center, gym, and even a bath (although all were small), making for a very comfortable cruise.

Interesting things I found in Hokkaido

This has nothing to do with Hokkaido, but... You can even adjust the thickness! A vending machine that lets you make thickened coffee or cocoa.	As expected of Hokkaido, local agricultural products are incredibly cheap.	A strange lineup...
Bear repellent bells, deer antlers, deer, pork, salmon, and scallop jerky, etc.	"This year's best-selling item"...that's an absolute lie.	There was a bear's paw (not for sale) in the souvenir shop.
"Mushroom Kingdom" is the kind of place that would make a certain Mr. Matsuyama scream. The huge building is filled with mushroom products...	Speaking of convenience stores in Hokkaido... that's right, Secoma (Seico Mart). I want one in my neighborhood.	Ban'ei horse (banba). It's the very same horse that Raoh rides (Kokuoh). Ban'ei horse racing...I'd love to see it at least once.

lastly

Hokkaido in September had just the right climate, neither too hot nor too cold, making it very comfortable. I recommend September. It also seems like it would be nice to go on a motorcycle tour.
This time, our goal was to visit "tourist spots to see nature," but we were blessed with good weather except for the last day, so we were able to fully achieve our goal and enjoy the nature.
Hokkaido's "simply long, straight roads" are something you can't experience anywhere else, so that alone is a bit exciting (although it can get boring...)

I also encountered a brown bear, which has been in the news quite a bit recently...
I was on a side road with a fair amount of traffic. It wasn't a cub, but it wasn't very big either, and it just glanced at me and then walked off into the mountains.
It's scary to think what would have happened if I had encountered it on foot rather than while driving...

There were also some other things that bothered me compared to my vague memories from childhood...

Solar panels everywhere
I felt this when I went to Kyushu, but there are solar panels everywhere (on ranches and vacant lots) and it really does seem like they're ruining the scenery. Of course, they're needed where they're needed, but...
Few tourists...?
Perhaps it's because it's September, but Kawayu Onsen, where I stayed, was deserted, with shops closed and some vacant buildings.
I've heard that tourist spots that were popular during the bubble era are gradually falling into disuse and disappearing, and there were many places where you could really feel the decline in tourists due to the economic downturn over the past 20 years. It's a bit sad.

Although there were some areas where I could feel the changes of the times, the scenery I was able to see was all beautiful and the food was delicious. I was able to once again feel the good things about Hokkaido.
If you haven't been there, I highly recommend you visit at least once.

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The person who wrote this article

About the author

Yuki Nomura

After graduating from university, he worked on electronic medical record development at a local system development company.
After that, he moved to a mobile app development company and gained experience developing apps for flip phones and smartphones, before joining Beyond in 2013.
He works in the Osaka office. He is currently in charge of designing and developing web systems.
He continues to develop smartphone apps in his private life as a hobby.
He is a mechanic who is a hardware geek. Leave the assembly of computers and bicycles to us!

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