I'm visiting Hokkaido in late July (17-23). We will be renting a car and sleeping in campsites and would appreciate any advice on which route would be the best.
We want to avoid cities (since we will have visited many cities in central Japan) and focus on landscapes and national parks. Daisetsuzan N.P., Akan and Furano flower fields are in my to-do list so far.
What else would be a must-see in Hokkaido with only 6 days?
Thanks!

It first depends where you start from (where you will be landing and departing from). 6 days is pretty short if you intend to drive a lot, as you have to remember that the maximum speed is 60 km/h, so long distance journeys are time consuming.

If you are around Akan, then Mashu-ko is for me a must. I love the Shiretoko peninsula, but you won't be able to add it to your plan if you do not sacrifice something. It mostly depends on your interests : so you intend to do some hiking, visit onsen ?

We'll be landing and departing from New Chitose and have 5 full days and 2 "half days".

I have planned the following itinerary:
day 1: Arrival at Chitose (11 am) - Furano - Biei (sleep in Biei)

day 2: Asahidake Onsen - Sounkyo Onsen (sleep in Sounkyo)

day 3: Sounkyo onsen - Utoro (sleep in Utoro)

day 4: Shiretoko (sleep in Utoro)

day 5: Akan (sleep in Akan)

day 6: Akan (sleep in Akan)

day 7: Back to Chitose (flight to Tokyo at 8 pm)

What do you think. Is it too ambitious?

oconee: it is feasible, but obviously you will spend a lot of time in the car... For example, a journey Sounkyo onsen - Utoro is more than 5 hours, and so is the Akan - airport journey...
Wouldn't it be possible to start your trip from an airport closer to the eastern part of Hokkaido, like Abashiri? This would prevent several long drives... The main problem is the 3 first days, when you basically cross the island from the south-west to the north-east.

oconee wrote (View Post): › I'm visiting Hokkaido in late July (17-23). We will be renting a car and sleeping in campsites and would appreciate any advice on which route would be the best. We want to avoid cities (since we will have visited many cities in central Japan) and focus on landscapes and national parks. Daisetsuzan N.P., Akan and Furano flower fields are in my to-do list so far. What else would be a must-see in Hokkaido with only 6 days? Thanks!

Ah! Furano Flower fields are definitely on my to-do list too! I am so looking forward to seeing them this summer. I simply love the pictures of these fields and I always love to decorate my own garden with flowers delivered to Cardiff. Truly amazing and highly inspiring to me.