Tokyo & Sapporo – 8 Days from Mt. Fuji to Hokkaido's Lakes

A full day out to see Japan's most famous mountain. The tour bus leaves Tokyo in the morning and climbs to the Mt. Fuji 5th Station, roughly halfway up the mountain at about 2,300 m, where on a clear day the summit feels close enough to touch. It is noticeably colder up here than in Tokyo, even in summer.

From Fuji you drop down into Hakone for a cruise across Lake Ashi, with the mountain reflected in the water on a good day, and a ride on the Hakone Ropeway over Owakudani Valley, where volcanic steam still rises from the hillside. All entry fees for the tour are included. You are back in Tokyo by evening.

At a glance: Time needed: ~10 hrs tour · Travel: ~2–2.5 hrs each way by coach · Pace: Full

Schedule

• Morning (around 7:30–8:30 AM): Breakfast at the hotel, then make your own way to the designated pick-up point in Tokyo. Coach departs for Mt. Fuji, about 2–2.5 hrs.

• Late morning: Mt. Fuji 5th Station, about 1 hr for views, photos and the souvenir shops (weather permitting).

• Noon: Lunch break on the way to Hakone (own cost).

• Afternoon: Lake Ashi cruise, about 30–40 min, followed by the Hakone Ropeway over Owakudani Valley, about 30 min.

• Evening: Coach back to Tokyo, arriving around 6:00–7:00 PM depending on traffic.

• Night: Free for dinner near the hotel (own cost).

Travel for the day

• Tokyo → Mt. Fuji 5th Station → Hakone → Tokyo by tour coach, about 10 hrs in total.

Tips & what to carry

• Carry a warm layer. The 5th Station is often 10 °C or more colder than Tokyo.

• Mt. Fuji is often hidden by cloud, especially in summer. Mornings and the winter months give the best chance of a clear view.

• The road to the 5th Station can close in snow or bad weather; the tour then uses a lower viewpoint.

• Pick-up point details and directions are shared one day before. Reach the meeting point 10–15 min early; group tours leave on time.

Overnight: Tokyo

Today Tokyo is yours to explore at your own pace, with a 24-hour Tokyo subway pass and tickets for two of the city's most popular experiences. teamLab Planets in Toyosu is a digital art museum where you walk barefoot through knee-deep water, mirrored rooms and a garden of floating flowers. It has four large artwork spaces and two gardens, and most visitors spend around two hours inside.

Later, head to Shibuya Sky, the open-air observation deck on top of Shibuya Scramble Square, 229 m above the city. Go up just before sunset and you see Tokyo by day, at dusk and lit up at night, with the famous Shibuya Crossing far below. Spend the evening around Shibuya for dinner and a walk across the crossing itself.

At a glance: Time needed: ~6 hrs sightseeing · Travel: Subway on your own · Pace: Moderate

Schedule

• Morning: Breakfast at the hotel. Take the subway to Toyosu, about 30–40 min depending on your hotel.

• Late morning: teamLab Planets, allow about 2 hrs. Entry is by timed slot.

• Noon: Lunch in Toyosu or Odaiba (own cost).

• Afternoon: Free to explore with the subway pass: Asakusa and Senso-ji, Harajuku or Ginza, 2–3 hrs.

• Evening: Shibuya Sky, allow about 1.5 hrs. Aim for a slot an hour before sunset.

• Night: Shibuya Crossing and dinner in Shibuya (own cost).

Travel for the day

• No private transfers today. Use the 24-hour Tokyo subway pass between the hotel, Toyosu and Shibuya.

Tips & what to carry

• At teamLab you walk barefoot in water up to the knee. Wear shorts or trousers you can roll up; lockers are provided for shoes and bags.

• Avoid wearing a skirt at teamLab; some rooms have mirrored floors.

• At Shibuya Sky, hats, loose items and selfie sticks are not allowed on the open roof and go into lockers.

• Sunset slots at Shibuya Sky sell out first, so lock in the time as early as possible.

• The subway pass covers Tokyo Metro and Toei lines but not JR trains.

Included today

• No Transfers but Entrance are Covered

• Tokyo Suburban Pass for 24hrs to Explore

Overnight: Tokyo

A day on the rails. From Tokyo Station you board the Hokkaido Shinkansen Hayabusa, the high-speed bullet train, for about four hours north through the Tohoku countryside and under the sea through the Seikan Tunnel, one of the longest undersea rail tunnels in the world, linking Honshu with Hokkaido.

At Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto you change to the Limited Express Hokuto for the final 3.5 to 4 hours, past mountains, forests and the coast. The whole journey takes around 7.5 to 8.5 hours depending on the connections, and the train times can be chosen to suit how long you want in each city. No tours are planned today, so sit back, buy a station bento for lunch and arrive in Sapporo ready for an early night.

At a glance: Time needed: No sightseeing · Travel: ~7.5–8.5 hrs by train · Pace: Easy

Schedule

• Morning: Breakfast and check out. Reach Tokyo Station, about 15 min from the hotel, at least 30 min before departure.

• Morning to afternoon: Hokkaido Shinkansen Hayabusa from Tokyo to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, about 4 hrs, including the Seikan Tunnel.

• Afternoon: Change to the Limited Express Hokuto to Sapporo, about 3.5–4 hrs.

• Evening: Arrive at Sapporo Station. Transfer to your hotel, about 30 min, and check in.

• Night: Dinner near the hotel: Sapporo is known for miso ramen and soup curry (own cost).

Travel for the day

• Tokyo → Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto ~4 hrs by Hokkaido Shinkansen.

• Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto → Sapporo ~3.5–4 hrs by Limited Express Hokuto.

• Sapporo Station → hotel ~30 min.

Tips & what to carry

• Pick up an ekiben (station bento) at Tokyo Station before boarding; food choices on board are limited.

• Large suitcases on the Shinkansen may need an oversized-baggage seat reservation. Tell us your luggage size in advance.

• Hokkaido is cooler than Tokyo all year. Keep a jacket handy for the evening arrival.

• If you hold a Japan Rail Pass, this journey is fully covered by it.

Included today

• Train Tickets are Covered.

Overnight: Sapporo

A full-day guided tour into the farm country of central Hokkaido, about two and a half hours from Sapporo. Biei is all rolling hills and patchwork fields, and the Roller Coaster Road lives up to its name as it dips and climbs over them. At Shikisai-no-Oka, the Four Seasons Colour Hill, rows of seasonal flowers run across the slopes in stripes of colour.

Next is the Blue Pond, Aoike, where dead birch trunks stand in water of a strange milky blue, and Shirahige Falls, which spills down a cliff like a bride's veil into the Biei River. The day usually ends at Farm Tomita in Furano, best known for its lavender fields in July. The exact order and stops can change with the tour type and season.

At a glance: Time needed: ~8 hrs tour · Travel: ~2.5 hrs each way by coach · Pace: Full

Schedule

• Morning: Breakfast at the hotel and walk to the designated pick-up point in Sapporo. Coach to Biei, about 2.5 hrs.

• Late morning: Roller Coaster Road photo stop, about 15 min, then Shikisai-no-Oka, about 1 hr.

• Noon: Lunch break (own cost). Hokkaido is famous for its dairy, so try the soft-serve ice cream.

• Afternoon: Blue Pond (Aoike), about 30–40 min, and Shirahige Falls, about 20–30 min.

• Late afternoon: Farm Tomita Rainbow Flower Field in Furano, about 1 hr.

• Evening: Coach back to Sapporo. Dinner in the city (own cost).

Travel for the day

• Sapporo → Biei → Furano → Sapporo by tour coach, about 8 hrs in total.

Tips & what to carry

• Lavender peaks in July; from June to September the flower fields are at their best. In winter the same hills are covered in snow.

• Stay on the paths. The fields around Biei are private farmland and stepping in can damage crops.

• The Blue Pond looks brightest on a sunny, still day. Cloud and wind dull the colour.

• Pick-up point details are shared one day before. Stops may change order with the timings.

Overnight: Sapporo

A full day around Sapporo with culture, food and a hot spring to finish. You start at the Sapporo Beer Museum, set in a red-brick building from the Meiji era, which tells the story of Japan's oldest beer brand; adults can try a tasting at the bar next door. The Hokkaido Shrine, in the forest of Maruyama Park, is the most important Shinto shrine on the island.

In the afternoon you visit the Hill of the Buddha, where a giant stone Buddha sits inside a hill planted with lavender, with only its head showing above the slope. A seafood market stop lets you taste Hokkaido crab, scallops and sea urchin. The day ends at Jozankei Onsen, a hot spring town in a river valley about an hour from the city, for a relaxing soak.

At a glance: Time needed: ~8 hrs tour · Travel: ~1 hr between stops by coach · Pace: Moderate

Schedule

• Morning: Breakfast and walk to the designated pick-up point. Sapporo Beer Museum, about 1 hr, then Hokkaido Shrine, about 45 min.

• Noon: Seafood market, about 1 hr. Seafood lunch (own cost).

• Afternoon: Hill of the Buddha (Atama Daibutsu), about 1 hr including the walk through the tunnel.

• Evening: Jozankei Onsen, about 1.5 hrs to bathe and walk along the river.

• Night: Return to Sapporo. Dinner at Susukino or a Genghis Khan grilled-lamb restaurant (own cost).

Travel for the day

• Sapporo city → Hill of the Buddha → Jozankei → Sapporo by tour coach, about 8 hrs in total.

Tips & what to carry

• Japanese onsen are bathed in without swimwear, and men and women bathe separately. Carry a small towel.

• Some onsen refuse guests with large tattoos. Tell us beforehand if this applies to you.

• Beer tasting is for adults 20 and over; ID may be checked.

• Seafood market prices go by weight and can climb quickly. Check the price before you order crab.

• Stops may change order with the timings; pick-up details are shared one day before.

Overnight: Sapporo

An afternoon-to-night tour south to Lake Toya, a round volcanic lake often called the Pearl of Hokkaido. The first stop is Kyogoku Meisui Park, whose spring water is listed among Japan's top 100 waters, and you can fill a bottle straight from the source. From the Lake Toya observatory you get a wide view over the lake and its central island.

Lake Hill Farm, a European-style dairy farm on the lakeshore, is the place for its handmade ice cream. Showa Shinzan is a young volcano that rose out of a wheat field between 1943 and 1945 and still steams. You then get an hour of free time on Lake Toya Onsen Street before the 20-minute fireworks display over the lake, and the luxury coach brings you back to Sapporo around 11:00 PM.

At a glance: Time needed: ~8 hrs tour · Travel: ~2.5 hrs each way by coach · Pace: Full

Schedule

• Morning: Breakfast and a slow morning in Sapporo. Free for Odori Park or the Sapporo TV Tower (own cost).

• Noon: Meet at the designated pick-up point and depart for Lake Toya.

• Afternoon: Kyogoku Meisui Park, about 30 min. Lake Toya observatory, about 30 min. Lake Hill Farm, 40 min.

• Late afternoon: Showa Shinzan, about 45 min.

• Evening: Lake Toya Onsen Street, 60 min of free time for a foot bath, dinner or a lakeside walk (own cost). Then the 20-minute fireworks display over the lake.

• Night: Luxury coach back to Sapporo, arriving around 11:00 PM.

Travel for the day

• Sapporo → Kyogoku → Lake Toya → Sapporo by luxury coach, about 8 hrs in total.

Tips & what to carry

• The Lake Toya fireworks run in the warmer months, usually from late April to October. Outside that season the tour may not include them.

• It gets cool by the lake at night, even in summer. Carry a light jacket.

• Eat dinner during the free hour on Onsen Street; you reach Sapporo late.

• Carry an empty bottle for the spring water at Kyogoku.

• Pick-up details are shared one day before; stops may shuffle with the timings.

Overnight: Sapporo

A relaxed final morning. Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and, if your flight time allows, take a last walk through Odori Park or pick up Hokkaido sweets and Shiroi Koibito biscuits to take home.

Your transfer takes you to New Chitose Airport, Sapporo's international airport, about an hour from the city, for your flight back to India.

At a glance: Time needed: ~1–2 hrs free time, flight permitting · Travel: ~1 hr airport transfer · Pace: Easy

Schedule

• Morning: Breakfast at the hotel. Free for last-minute shopping near Sapporo Station (own cost).

• Noon: Check out from the hotel.

• Departure: Transfer to New Chitose Airport, about 1 hr, reaching at least 3 hrs before an international flight.

Travel for the day

• Sapporo hotel → New Chitose Airport ~1 hr.

Tips & what to carry

• New Chitose Airport has a large shopping floor with Hokkaido chocolates, Royce and Shiroi Koibito, so you can leave food souvenirs for last.

• If you shop tax-free, keep your passport handy and do not open sealed tax-free bags before leaving Japan.

• Hokkaido snow can delay flights in winter. Leave extra time if travelling between December and March.

Included today

• Airport Transfers is Covered