Eat, drink, travel Japan.
Sapporo gets spiritual in a big way. I love the sheer scale of Butsugan-ji Temple with its 45-meter Buddha Nirvana statue, and I love that the day ends with a real sake tasting at Yata where staff help you understand what you’re drinking. One thing to plan around: this is a long, mostly walking day, … Read more
Three bars, one smart night plan. This guided bar hopping tour is built for figuring out where to go in Sapporo’s nightlife without guessing. You start with a short stroll through Susukino and Tanuki-koji, then you land at three bars chosen to match your group’s tastes, with sake, wine, or craft beer in the mix. … Read more
Otaru feels like a postcard day trip. This guided loop takes you from Sapporo Station to the port-town charm of Otaru, with classic stops clustered around the canal and Sakaimachi Street. You get ticketed time at major sights instead of playing guess-the-line, and the day ends with a canal-side beer stop that turns the whole … Read more
This tour turns a simple day in Sapporo into a real, lived-in story. You start with an open-air Hokkaido heritage village and finish with the Sapporo Beer Museum—two very different settings that still connect through local roots and old-to-modern change. I especially like how the Kaitaku-no Mura site is organized for learning, with buildings you … Read more
Otaru is a small city with big personality. This guided day trip turns a simple port stop into a full mix of canal-town charm and hands-on creativity. I like how the morning centers on the Otaru Canal and its stone-and-brick warehouses, then keeps going with workshops and offbeat sights that feel very Hokkaido. You’ll also … Read more
Sapporo has a surprisingly spiritual side. This 1-day tour strings together two big Buddha experiences that feel very of their place, plus a classic downtown skyline stop and a final hour in Susukino with sake tasting. I particularly loved seeing the 45-meter Sleeping Buddha at Butsuganji, and I also liked that the day ends with … Read more
Soba-making sounds simple. It is not. What makes this 90-minute private dinner class in Sapporo special is that you actually make buckwheat noodles by hand and then eat them with classic Japanese pairings: tempura and a focused sake tasting. The staff guide you step by step, so you get the feel of the process without … Read more
Sapporo at night is a whole different city. This bar-hopping tour turns the lights of Susukino into a simple, guided plan, with stops chosen for your group and a local guide talking you through how drinking culture works here. You’ll also get to see nightlife areas like Tanuki-koji without doing the guesswork. I especially like … Read more
Soba tastes different when you make it yourself. This one is all about the real craft: you’ll handle the full soba process, then sit down to a pairing built around Hokkaido ingredients and three sake pours. I especially love two things. First, the class does not stop halfway. You go from buckwheat to dough to … Read more
![[Otaru & Yoichi] Let's go to Otaru Canal, Sakaimachi Street, Music Box Hall, and Yoichi Nikka Whiskey by private car (arriving and departing from Sapporo) - Private car comfort: why your schedule stays yours](https://drinkingjapan.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/otaru-yoichi-lets-go-to-otaru-canal-sakaimachi-street-music-box-hall-and-yoichi-nikka-whiskey-by-private-car-arriving-and-departing-from-sapporo.jpg)
If you only have one day, this works. The value here is simple: you get door-to-door private car time plus a tight sightseeing plan from Sapporo to Yoichi and Otaru. I like how the day mixes a whisky stop with that classic Otaru walking feel, instead of turning into one long bus commute. Two things … Read more
If your Sapporo plan feels vague, this tour puts it on rails. You’ll hit three local izakaya bars with a guide who helps with ordering and pacing, plus you’ll roll past Odori Park and the Ganso Sapporo Ramen Street area before finishing with something sweet like a parfait or a final ramen stop. Two things … Read more