Discover Hokkaido’s Best Island Hopping Tours

The first thing to untangle about island hopping from Hokkaido is the name of the place you are starting from. Hokkaido is an island. It is the second largest in Japan, roughly the size of Austria, and when you stand on the Sapporo ring road in January with a snow plough crawling past, it feels like a country of its own. So when people search for "island hopping tours from Hokkaido", they usually mean one of three different trips, and the right plan depends on which one you actually want. This guide sorts those three out, tells you what is genuinely possible, what is a stretch, and how to build a week around it without wasting days on ferry timetables that do not line up.

I have done the northern version of this trip twice, once in the flower season and once in a shoulder month when half the guesthouses had not yet opened. The second trip taught me more than the first. Ferries on this coast are not a tourist product in the sense that a Phuket speedboat is; they are lifelines for fishing communities that happen to carry visitors in summer. That changes how you plan. It also makes the whole thing far more rewarding, because you arrive on an island where people are going about their lives rather than waiting for you to buy a keyring.

What "island hopping" really means in Hokkaido

There is no organised island-hopping circuit here in the Greek or Thai sense, where a single operator links six islands in a loop. What you get instead are clusters. In the far north-west, off the town of Wakkanai, sit Rishiri and Rebun, two very different islands sharing one ferry hub. On the west coast, Okushiri lies off the Setana and Esashi side and is reached from the south-western part of Hokkaido. A little further up that same coast, off Haboro, the tiny islands of Teuri and Yagishiri are served by a short ferry crossing. And then there are the lake islands, which sound like a joke until you take the boat: Nakajima in Lake Toya, and the small marimo island in Lake Akan.

So the honest framing is this. You will "hop" between Hokkaido and one island cluster at a time, not between islands in a chain, and you will usually come back through the same port. Once you accept that, the planning gets easier. You pick a base, you pick one or two crossings, and you fill the rest of the week with what makes mainland Hokkaido famous: volcanoes, onsen towns, lavender slopes in summer, powder in winter, and a food scene built on seafood and dairy.

Treat the table as a menu, not a checklist. Nobody should try to do all of it in one trip, and the people who do tend to spend most of the holiday looking at ferry terminals.

When to go, and why it matters more than usual

Timing decides everything on the outer islands. From roughly late May to the end of August, the northern ferries run at their fullest, the flowers on Rebun are out, the guesthouses are open, and the sea is calm enough that cancellations are rare. September is still pleasant and noticeably quieter. By late October the crossings thin out, some accommodation closes for the season, and weather can cancel a sailing with very little notice. In deep winter, services to the smaller islands are reduced and in places suspended, and the sea off the north-west coast is rough, grey and unforgiving. Winter is wonderful in Hokkaido, but it is a mainland experience: skiing, snow festivals, steaming outdoor baths. Do not plan a winter island hop and then act surprised when the ferry does not sail.

For a Singapore traveller, the contrast with home is half the appeal. July in Singapore means thirty-three degrees and a sky that threatens rain by four o'clock. July on Rishiri means a cool, bright day in the low twenties with a breeze that smells of kelp. If you can take your leave in July or August, this is when the north makes the most sense. If your dates are fixed in winter or in the autumn colour weeks, build the trip around the lake islands and the mainland highlights and treat the outer islands as a future summer trip.

The north: Rishiri and Rebun from Wakkanai

Wakkanai is the northernmost city of any size in Japan, and getting there is the first commitment. You can fly in, or take a long train or bus ride from Sapporo that eats most of a day. The reward is a working port town with a ferry terminal that feels more like a bus station, a morning market, and the sense that you have come properly far. Most people spend one night here before or after the islands, and I would suggest the same. Missing a crossing because you cut the margin too fine is a very avoidable way to lose a day.

From Wakkanai the ferries run to both Rishiri and Rebun, and there are also connections between the two islands in season. Sailing times are in the range of an hour and a half to a little under two hours depending on the route. Operators change timetables by season, so check the current schedule on the day you book your rooms, not months earlier. The practical rule is to leave a buffer night on either side of your island days.

Rishiri is a single conical volcano rising straight out of the sea, close to seventeen hundred metres at its summit. From the ferry it looks like a drawing a child would make of a mountain. The coast road circles the island in a loop of about sixty kilometres, and renting a bicycle for it is the single best use of a day if your legs are up to it. The wind can be strong, and so can the hills in a couple of sections, so electric bikes exist and are worth the extra yen. Stop at the small harbour restaurants for sea urchin when it is in season, and for bowls of rice topped with whatever the boats brought in that morning. Climbing the mountain itself is a serious full-day hike. It is not technical in good weather, but it is steep and exposed, and you should treat the weather forecast as binding. If the cloud sits on the summit, walk to the lower viewpoints and a pond or two instead.

Rebun is the opposite in temperament. It is long, thin and low, and it is famous for flowers that grow here almost at sea level but belong, botanically, to high mountains elsewhere. The season is short, from roughly late May into August, and it changes week by week. Walking trails run along the western coast and across headlands, and you can do them with ordinary trainers. The first time I walked the northern cape section I kept stopping not for the view but for a bright patch of colour at my feet. If you are the sort of traveller who sulks on a hike without a summit, Rebun will cure you.

A sensible shape for this part of the trip is four nights: one in Wakkanai, one or two on Rishiri, one or two on Rebun, then back. If you only have two island days, choose one island and give it both days. The temptation to see both in a weekend is strong, and nearly everyone who tries it spends more time moving than looking.

The west coast: Okushiri, Teuri and Yagishiri

Okushiri is the island most Singapore visitors have never heard of, and it carries a heavy history. A major offshore earthquake in 1993 sent a tsunami onto its coast, and the island has rebuilt itself since with a memorial museum and a seawall that explains, without drama, what happened. A visit here is quiet and a little sombre, but the scenery is lovely, the seafood is excellent, and the people are open about telling the story. Transport is the hard part. The crossings run from the south-western side of Hokkaido, services are limited, and on a rough day they simply do not run. There are also flights from Hakodate in some seasons, but check these carefully, as small-aircraft schedules shift. This is an island for a traveller with spare days, not for someone with a tight week.

Further north on the same coast is Haboro, a small town from which the short crossing to Teuri and Yagishiri departs. Teuri is known for its seabird colony, which includes tufted puffins that nest on the cliffs in early summer. The best viewing window is generally around June and July, and the birds are most active in the early hours. Do not expect a crowd. Do expect cold wind even in summer, so pack a jacket that you would be happy to wear on a Singapore flight where the air-conditioning is set to arctic. Yagishiri is gentler and can be explored on foot or by bicycle in an afternoon. Both islands have small inns, and staying overnight is the better way to do them, because the day boats can leave you with barely any time ashore.

If I had to choose only one extra island besides the north pair, it would be Teuri in the right month. The crossing is short, the payoff is immediate, and you are back on the mainland with a car or a bus the next morning.

The easy version: islands on lakes

Not everyone has a spare week for a northern ferry itinerary, and that is fine. Hokkaido gives you a gentle taste of island hopping without leaving the bus network. Lake Toya, a round caldera lake in the south-west, has a group of small islands in its centre, and the sightseeing boat stops at Nakajima, the largest. The walk across the island is short, the forest is quiet, and the views back to the volcano rim are calm in a way that suits a first afternoon after a flight. The Lake Toya boat tour is one of the more sensible things to book if you are travelling with older parents or small children, because you get the boat, the island and the scenery without an hour of walking.

The other lake worth a boat ride is Lake Akan, in the east. A cruise here takes about seventy minutes and passes the small island where the Ainu community and visitors have long celebrated marimo, the velvety green algae balls that live only in a handful of lakes in the world. Whether you are moved by moss balls will depend on your temperament, but the cruise is relaxing, the water is clear, and the lakeside onsen village is a pleasant place to spend a night. The cruise terminal exchange is worth knowing about: you swap the electronic voucher for a physical ticket at the boat office in Akan Lake Onsen town, so allow a few minutes before your sailing.

After dark, Akan has one of the more interesting evening experiences in the country. Kamui Lumina is a 1.2 kilometre night walk through the forest that uses projection and sound to tell stories drawn from Ainu tradition. I went in expecting something gimmicky and came out thinking about how few places let you walk through a cultural story instead of reading a panel about it. Book the evening slot, wear warm layers whatever the season, and allow time for the walk without rushing. If you want a rule of thumb for a three-night Akan stay, put the cruise on the first afternoon and the night walk on the second evening, with the middle day spent wandering or soaking.

A week that actually works

Here is the plan I would give a friend with seven nights and a summer holiday. It balances one real outer-island crossing with the mainland highlights, and it has a built-in spare half-day in case a sailing is cancelled.

Notice the buffer. On day seven there is nothing booked after the return ferry except the flight home to Singapore the following morning, which means I would stay the night in Sapporo near New Chitose rather than gamble on a same-day connection. If you have an extra night, put it back on day five and give Rishiri a second day. Most people who do the loop say they wish they had stayed longer, and almost nobody wishes they had packed more in.

Mainland days worth building around

Even if the outer islands are the point of your trip, you will pass through Sapporo, and you should use the days that do not involve boats well. A few experiences consistently earn their place.

The Noboribetsu, Lake Toya and Otaru day tour out of Sapporo is a good example of how to use a single day when you have only one. It strings together the steaming volcanic vents of Hell Valley, the calm of Lake Toya and the old canal town of Otaru. It is long, and you will spend a fair stretch of it in a coach, but you will cover a lot of ground without driving yourself, which matters in Hokkaido where distances are far larger than the map suggests. Arrive at the meeting point at least ten minutes before departure, because the tour does not wait for latecomers.

If animals are what you travel for, the Asahiyama Zoo and Biei day trip is the one I would choose. The zoo is famous for how close you get to penguins and polar bears, and the Blue Pond area nearby is photogenic in a way that is hard to fake. The winter version of this tour is a different experience from the summer one, with snow-covered fields replacing the patchwork of crops. If the zoo is closed on your date, the itinerary shifts to more scenic stops around Biei and Furano, so you do not lose the day.

In the south, Hakodate's Goryokaku is a star-shaped fort from the late Edo period, and the tower beside it gives you the shape from above. It is lovely at cherry blossom time, usually late April to early May, and quietly beautiful in late October when the leaves turn. If you are flying in to Hakodate for Okushiri, give yourself a day here first.

For families, two smaller stops are worth knowing. Noboribetsu Marine Park Nixe is built to look like a European castle and has an aquarium inside it, which suits children and rainy afternoons. The Chitose Salmon Aquarium, close to the airport, is a gentle first or last stop; autumn is the season to see the salmon run. Both are easy additions that do not require a full day.

Getting around: trains, passes and the reality of distance

Hokkaido's distances are the thing that catches visitors out. Sapporo to Wakkanai by train or bus is a full day of travel. Sapporo to Hakodate is several hours on the express. Sapporo to Kushiro and Akan is another long haul. For a Singapore traveller used to crossing the whole country in an hour, this is a shock. The sensible response is to plan fewer bases and spend more nights in each.

Rail passes can cut costs if your route fits, and the options vary by area. The JR Hokkaido Rail Pass is the broad one for travellers who plan several long rides. The listing from HolidaySG is the delivery-coverage version for Indonesia, so check the coverage notes on the page before you buy and make sure it applies to where you live and how you will collect it; you can read the details of the JR Hokkaido Rail Pass, listed from S$187.78. A smaller option is the Sapporo-Furano Area Pass, which is built for exactly the lavender and farm country day trips that fill July; it is also an Indonesia-only delivery product, so read the conditions on its page, where it is listed from S$95.00. For travellers whose route runs from the Tohoku region into southern Hokkaido, the JR Tohoku-South Hokkaido Rail Pass covers six consecutive days and is listed from S$275.56. It must be used for six days in a row from the activation date, and seat reservations for the bullet train need to be made separately, so it suits a tightly planned route rather than a slow wander.

Do the arithmetic before you buy anything. A pass pays off when it replaces several long express journeys. If your plan is two bases and one long ride, point-to-point tickets may well cost less. Write your route out, look up each leg, and compare. Passes do not cover ferries to the outer islands, which are bought separately from the ferry operator, and they do not cover most local buses once you leave the rail lines.

Winter exception: when the island is a ski hill

If your dates fall between December and early March, the whole idea changes. The outer islands go quiet and the mainland becomes the destination. Hokkaido's snow is famously light and dry, and the ski areas range from enormous resort complexes to small hills that beginners will love. Asarigawa Onsen near Otaru is a good example of the gentler kind, popular with beginners and intermediate skiers who want a calm day without crowds. Day tours from Sapporo bring in instructors and equipment, which is a sensible option if you have never skied and do not want to figure out rental and transfers on your own. The peak powder window runs from late December to early March, with the best conditions in January and February.

A word for first-time winter visitors from Singapore. Dress in real layers, not a single heavy coat. Bring warm socks, a hat, gloves with proper grip, and shoes with decent tread, because pavements can be icy. Pack a small backpack so your hands are free for the handrails. Walk like a penguin on ice, with short flat-footed steps, and you will avoid the embarrassing falls that fill the winter hospitals. And remember that trains and buses run well in snow, but a heavy storm can still delay a long journey, so keep the day after any critical connection loose.

Food you should plan around

Hokkaido is eaten, not just visited. Sapporo is known for miso ramen and soup curry, both of which suit cold days. On the coast, the seafood is the draw: crab, scallops, salmon roe, and in summer, sea urchin, which is especially prized around Rishiri and Rebun. In the lake towns, you will find freshwater fish and local dairy. Dairy deserves its own mention: the milk, butter, soft-serve and cheese here are what Japanese tourists queue for at service stops, and you will quickly see why.

If you eat halal or avoid pork, plan ahead. Many ramen broths and soup curries use pork stock, and a lot of island inns serve a fixed set dinner built around what came off the boats that day. Tell the inn about dietary needs when you book, in writing, and again when you arrive. Seafood-heavy menus are friendly to pescatarians, and the inns are usually careful once they know. Smaller islands have fewer restaurants, and many close early, so make dinner reservations when you check in rather than wandering out at eight in the evening hoping for a table.

Entry, visas and paperwork for Singapore passport holders

Singapore citizens have an easy time here. Holders of a Singapore passport can enter Japan for short stays for tourism without applying for a visa, with a stay of up to ninety days on the official list. Even so, rules change and your own details matter, so check the entry conditions before you fly. If you are travelling with family members or friends on other passports, including those who hold Indian, Indonesian or other nationalities, the situation is different, and some of them will need an eVisa or a visa from the embassy. The easiest way to see what applies is the HolidaySG visa requirements page, which lets you check your destination and nationality in a few seconds and shows the official options we have on record, including the short-term visa exemption for Singapore passport holders and the eVisa routes for eligible nationalities.

One practical step before you land is to register on Visit Japan Web, which handles the immigration and customs declarations in a single online form. Doing it at home on your phone saves a long queue at the airport. Keep screenshots of the QR codes in case your connection fails.

Some visa applicants are asked by the embassy for a proposed itinerary that shows where they will fly in and out. If this applies to you, a reservation can help you present a plan without buying a ticket before you know the outcome. HolidaySG offers a manual flight reservation service for exactly this purpose. It is worth being clear about what it is: a reservation is not an issued ticket, it does not guarantee that a visa will be granted, and the embassy makes its own decision. It is simply a way to present your planned route while you wait. If your whole party holds Singapore passports, you will not need this, but it comes up often with friends and relatives travelling with you on different documents.

Money, connectivity and what to pack

Cash still matters on the outer islands. Larger hotels and ferry terminals accept cards, but small inns, harbour restaurants and some bus services prefer cash, and cash machines on the small islands are few. Withdraw a good amount at Wakkanai or Sapporo before you cross, and keep a few thousand yen in coins and small notes. Convenience-store machines accept most international cards, and they are your best friend on the mainland.

For mobile data, an eSIM or a pocket Wi-Fi device is the normal choice, and either will work in the cities and along main roads. Coverage on Rishiri, Rebun and the western islands can be patchy depending on the carrier. Download offline maps for each island, save your inn's address in Japanese, and screenshot your ferry booking. On the island itself, the inn owner is usually the best source of local information on the weather, the trails and the evening ferry.

The packing list is short and practical. A light waterproof jacket, because rain arrives without warning. A warm layer even in July, for the ferry deck and the evenings. Sturdy walking shoes, not fashionable sandals. A small dry bag for the boat. Sun protection, because the northern light is surprisingly strong. A power bank. A reusable bottle, since tap water is safe. And, if you are photographing wildlife, a zoom lens or at least a patient attitude. For emergencies, Japan's police number is 110 and ambulance and fire is 119. The national tourist hotline run by the Japan National Tourism Organization is a useful number to save.

Mistakes I would help you avoid

The most common error is treating the outer islands as a day trip. Rishiri and Rebun are rewarding precisely because you stay, and a day trip from Wakkanai leaves you ashore for a handful of hours, which is enough to be frustrated and not enough to be satisfied. The second is booking a ferry before you have rooms, or rooms before you have a ferry. The two are a pair; secure them in the same sitting and keep a note of the change conditions for each. The third is underestimating weather. When the forecast says a sailing is doubtful, take it seriously and use your buffer rather than pushing on to a flight you cannot afford to miss.

A subtler mistake is over-planning the mainland while ignoring the evening. The best moments I have had in Hokkaido happened at the edges of the day: a walk through the forest at Akan after dark, a harbour at dusk with the fishing boats coming in, a late soak in an open-air bath while snow settled on the stones. Leave some time to be nowhere in particular.

And one more. Do not book a tight itinerary for the day you arrive. Flights from Singapore to Sapporo usually involve a connection, long layovers and a late landing, and you will be tired. Spend the first night in Sapporo, eat something warm, sleep, and start properly the next morning.

Booking what you can, and leaving room for what you cannot

There is a sensible division between what to book early and what to leave open. Book your flights, your Sapporo hotel for the arrival night, and your accommodation on the outer islands, since small inns have few rooms and fill quickly in the flower season. Book ferry seats as soon as the operator opens them, particularly for weekends and Japanese holiday periods. Book timed experiences such as the Kamui Lumina night walk and the Lake Toya or Akan boats a few days ahead, because dates and times are limited and some sessions sell out in peak months.

Leave open the days that depend on weather: your hiking day on Rishiri, your flower walk on Rebun, and your bird-watching morning on Teuri. If you want to book attractions and tours online, HolidaySG lists the mainland ones covered in this guide, with e-tickets emailed after our team confirms your booking. That confirmation step means you should not buy a ticket for the same afternoon or the next morning; plan a day or two ahead. For the ferries, inns and small-island services that are not sold online, you will deal with the operators directly, and your best tool is patience and a polite email in simple English or Japanese.

Frequently asked questions

Is Hokkaido itself an island?

Yes. Hokkaido is the northernmost of Japan's four main islands. When people talk about island hopping from Hokkaido, they mean taking a ferry from its coast to nearby islands such as Rishiri, Rebun, Okushiri, Teuri and Yagishiri, or visiting islands in lakes such as Nakajima in Lake Toya.

Can I do Rishiri and Rebun in a weekend?

You can touch both, but you will spend more time on boats than on the islands. If you have a long weekend, pick one island, stay overnight, and give it a full day for hiking or cycling. With four or five days, doing both becomes comfortable.

When is the best month for island hopping?

July and August give you the most reliable ferry service and the flowers on Rebun, but they are also the busiest. June and September are quieter, with the trade-off of slightly more unpredictable weather. Winter is not a good time for the smaller islands, and services are reduced.

Does a Japan Rail Pass cover the ferries?

No. Regional rail passes cover specific train and some bus services, but the ferries to the outer islands are run by separate operators and are bought separately. Always read the conditions of the pass, including the delivery coverage and the number of consecutive days it is valid.

Do Singapore passport holders need a visa for Japan?

For short tourist stays, Singapore passport holders are covered by Japan's visa exemption, up to ninety days according to the official facts we hold. Always confirm the current rules before you travel, and check the visa requirements page for companions on other passports.

What if the embassy asks for a flight itinerary?

Some applicants are asked to show planned travel. HolidaySG's flight reservation service provides a manual reservation for this purpose. It is not an issued ticket and does not promise that a visa will be approved.

Is the trip suitable for children and older travellers?

The lake islands and the mainland day tours are very manageable. The northern ferries are fine for families too, but Rishiri's mountain hike is demanding, and the western islands involve more waiting around. Choose the pace to suit the slowest traveller in your group.

Should I rent a car?

On the mainland in summer, a car gives you freedom, but it requires an international driving permit and confidence driving on the left. In winter, snow driving is not recommended for first-timers. On the islands, bicycles, local buses and taxis usually cover what you need.

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