Noboribetsu, Lake Toya tour – I wasn’t that all excited about this outside of Sapporo City tour we booked at Klook when I first heard about it, but being a recommendation by hubby, I couldn’t disagree, because for sure, there’s something good about it. Learn more about this one-day tour because you I want you to be excited about this tour too!
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4 attractions in Sapporo, Hokkaido in 1 day
So many Sapporo Hokkaido attractions in so little time?
Worry no more! Because this tour has got you covered! All you need is one whole day (not even 24 hours!) to get to these 3 famous Sapporo tourist spots winter without worrying about your transportation or about getting lost!
All you have to do is to follow your tour guide, and you’ll soon be taking lots of great photos (I assure you!) and living your best life while ticking off these 4 Sapporo places to visit – Noboribetsu, Lake Toya, Showa Shinzan Bear Park, and Shikotsuko Onsen!
Ready to hear our journey? Let’s go!
Noboribetsu Jigokudani Valley
After seeing these weird and unfamiliar names of Sapporo tourist attractions, I was actually wasn’t that excited and all because why would we be want to look at some sort of snow-covered mountain?
I mean, hello?! Everywhere you look around Sapporo, there are snow! (Of course, this is during the winter)
But I was totally wrong!
Because when we reached Noboribetsu Jigokudani Valley, I was amazed by how pretty the place was. Not to mention how huge of a place it was, and how you have to be very careful about not falling off the bridge or the wooden pathway as you check out where the smoke is coming from!
It seems like every part of Noboribetsu Hokkaido, there’s something nice to capture!
And while you might think that every part of it is cold because of the snow, they have warning signs everywhere reminding you to be careful because it’s a very dangerous place.
But I liked every bit of how you could enjoy the cold weather (because it was winter) and seeing fumes everywhere.
You can even spend a great time at Noboribetsu Onsen dipping in hot springs and there’s also a picnic site so you can chill even more. However, since we’re with a tour, we can’t spread out our picnic mats and enjoy the scenery Noboribetsu has.
Still, it’s a nice idea if you have more time, or if you could drive there.
Lake Toya winter
After about 30 minutes, we left for Lake Toya. I took a nap in the bus and at 11:40 AM, we finally saw some parts of Lake Toya, when the tour guide woke us up sharing stories about Lake Toya.
They let us off in a few minutes, and told us we should be back by 1 PM so we had to have a quick lunch or snack so we won’t be left by the bus. Thankfully, we found a kombini somewhere near the bus parking lot, so we just bought some chicken there and shove our faces with it along with some bread we brought the night before.
At Lake Toya, you can ride the steamship, but we don’t want to risk being left behind by the bus, so we just enjoyed the view from the deck. Our son had a lot of fun playing with the snow and we enjoyed the chilly weather and just savored the relaxing view.
Showa Shinzan Bear Park
It was 1:30 PM when we reached Showa Shinzan Bear Park. After the tour guide distributed the Noboribetsu Bear Park tickets, we immediately went in to see the black bears.
We were amazed by the huge space the bears share. Although it didn’t look the best, I just hope they’re being well taken cared of there. Visitors can buy treats to feed the bears, so it’s one Sapporo places for kids to enjoy.
At 200 JPY (76.65 PHP or 1.32 USD), you get quite a generous amount of treats to give to the Noboribetsu bear. Not sure what its ingredients are. But the Noboribetsu black bears sure love them!
The Klook tour guide told us to be back to the bus by 1:15 PM. We left immediately, since we have one last Sapporo tourist attraction to see before we bid goodbye.
Shikotsuko Onsen
After traveling for another hour, we finally reached the last of our Sapporo tour. Along with Lake Toyako, Lake Shikotsuko is a national park main feature.
When you enter the Lake Shikotsu Visitor Center, You’ll see many nature related displays and it was a fun way to learn so many things. Some animals look so real, and I don’t know it they’re actually real animals with some chemical to make them into displays or whether they’re just a man-made thing.
When we’re done exploring the visitor center and were all warmed up, we went out to enjoy the lake. I was fascinated by the stunning view that welcomed us upon leaving the indoor facility. Seeing the lake, mountain, and land, makes you want to stay there for a day or 2.
But since the walk to the end was long, we didn’t continue after taking lots of great photos. The place also had many snack stores, so we bought a soft serve, because a winter trip can’t be complete without eating ice cream!
Sapporo to Lake Toya
There are 3 ways on how to get to Lake Toya from Sapporo. You can drive your car, take the bus, or subway. Of course, as a tourist, I highly recommend riding the train because it’s Japan’s most efficient transportation route.
But, if you prefer riding the bus, no worries, because you can pay a cheaper price, but the travel is usually longer than that of trains. But apparently, when traveling from Sapporo to Lake Toya using bus, you just have to add 30 minutes more (than when traveling by train).
By bus
The cheapest and easiest way to get to Lake Toya from Sapporo is by riding a bus. Look for the one bound for Toyako Onsen, and by paying 3,700 JPY, you can reach Lake Toya after 2.5 hours.
I think you have to book the bus tickets in advanced, because upon checking as of writing, I don’t see a 2.5 hour ride – rather, a 10 hour ride.
By train
When riding the train to Lake Toya, you have to get off at Toya station, then transfer to Toyako Onsen bus terminal – which is a 15-minute ride to get to Lake Toya. While the train ride from Sapporo to Toya station is covered by the JR pass, the bus isn’t, so you still need to use cash amounting to 400 JPY (154.28 PHP or 2.65 USD).
The estimated time to reach Lake Toya from Sapporo by train is around 2 hours and it costs 4,000 JPY (1,542.73 PHP or 26.53 USD).
Noboribetsu tour reviews conclusion
The tour at Hokkaido Noboribetsu, Lake Toya, Noboribetsu bear farm, and Lake Shikotsu, was one great way to take a trip to the picturesque places that are hard to visit within a day.
Thankfully, there are tours where you can just ride the bus, and relax as you enjoy the places without worrying about a single thing. Morever, you can enjoy additional discount if you use my code HAPPIKLOOK before checking out.
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Sapporo tourist spots in winter
Whether you’re visiting Sapporo in winter, or whatever season, I’m sure you’d want to make your trip worthwhile. Why don’t you check out some things to do in Sapporo, because you never know if you’ll find something that interest you.
Sapporo TV Tower
Going 90 meters above the ground and watching the cars drive by along Odori Park, Sapporo, while the sun sets is one of the best ways to relax. And you can do that by going to Sapporo TV Tower, and score a nice spot to capture these great memories.
More about Sapporo TV Tower here.
Bibai Snowland
Snow activities like skiing, snow mobiling, riding a buggy, or just playing around a snow-covered field is the last thing you’d want to do when going to Sapporo in winter. But you never know how much you’ll enjoy unless you do them.
We went to Bibai Snowland and experience having fun in the snow (yes, it rained snow during our visit!). So, I’m sharing them with you here.
Sapporo Beer Museum
Watching many travel vlogs will introduce you to one of the most famous Sapporo, Hokkaido, attractions. Sapporo Beer Museum is a place to visit if you love beers or a fan of history, because it tells how Sapporo beer started.
Learn more about it here.
Shiroi Koibito Park
I can’t deny that Shiroi Koibito Park is one of the top attractions in Sapporo simply because of the yummy cookies it makes. The chocolate factory is where you’ll see how your favorite white chocolate cookie comes to life.
Want to see what’s inside? Check here.
