Hokkaido (South and Central Hokkaido Free & Easy)
My second trip to Hokkaido was in 2016, also in October. However, it seemed to be much colder than the previous trip, averaging about 5 degree Celsius, and there weren’t any sunflowers at all! I took the opportunity to take the new Hokkaido Shinkansen that was launched in March 2016. At the moment, it runs from Tokyo station to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto station in Hakodate, south of Hokkaido. By 2030, it would be extended to Sapporo. I bought the 7-day JR Pass that helped to save quite a lot of money, considering that I also took limited express trains between Hakodate and Sapporo. It takes 4 hours from Tokyo to Hakodate, and another 4 hours to Sapporo. As I have not been to Hakodate yet, Shinkansen was a viable option as I could do sightseeing in Hakodate and continue the journey to Sapporo the next day. So maximum traveling time per day was about 4 hours, still manageable for me. Covered Hakodate（函館）, Sapporo（札幌）, Furano（富良野）, Otaru（小樽）and Onuma Park（小沼公園）in 5 days. (Remaini...