From New Chitose Airport to Sapporo by rental car: recommended locations along Lake Shikotsu

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From New Chitose Airport—the “gateway to Hokkaido”—to Sapporo it takes only about 50 minutes if you go in a straight line over the Hokkaido Expressway. However, if you’re renting a car at New Chitose Airport and have some time to spare; I recommend not heading straight for Sapporo, but instead to take a route along Lake Shikotsu, where there are several sights worth seeing.

It’s a bit of a detour, but it’s a nice drive with an abundance of nature and a typical Hokkaido-ish feel to it. A few Chitose sightseeing spots await you as well, so let’s see check this route out!

Here I will introduce sightseeing waypoints along Lake Shikotsu in the order they are passed when driving the route from New Chitose Airport to Sapporo.

Contents

• 1 Culinary treat: Chitose Burger
• 2 Chitose Outlet Mall Rera
• 3 Chitose Salmon Aquarium
• 4 Lake Shikotsu Onsen
• 5 Lake Shikotsu Sightseeing Boat
• 6 Lake Shikotsu Visitor Center
• 7 Lake Shikotsu Tourist Center
• 8 Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival
• 9 Conclusion

Culinary treat: Chitose Burger

I’m starting off with something that isn’t a sightseeing destination at all, but Chitose is Hokkaido’s largest chicken egg producing region, and there happens to be a hamburger with such a locally hatched egg on it, which is on offer at restaurants and hotels in the outskirts of Chitose.

Each store has its own original menu, and most of these food items are in limited supply, so don’t miss out on the chance to try this local specialty if you encounter one on your journey.

The Chitose Burger of Lake Shikotsu Tsuruga Resort Spa Mizu-no-Uta

Lake Shikotsu Himemasu (kokanee salmon) Burger of Lake Shikotsu Kyukamura

More information about Chitose burgers: Chitose Tourism Website (Japanese)

Chitose Outlet Mall Rera

Chitose Outlet Mall Rera, offering many domestic and foreign brands, is one of Hokkaido’s largest open-air outlet malls. It’s located adjacent to JR Minami-Chitose Station, and it’s also served by a free shuttle bus from New Chitose Airport. Geographically, it’s safe to say it’s located as good as next to New Chitose Airport. There are rental car companies in this area too, so it might be a good idea to do some shopping here before picking up a car and going for a drive.

Chitose Salmon Aquarium

About a 10 minute drive away from New Chitose Airport, this is an aquarium located within the roadside station Salmon Park Chitose. Salmon fits the image people have of Hokkaido well, doesn’t it? In this aquarium you can observe salmon and other freshwater fish of the north.

It has one of Japan’s largest freshwater tanks, and also features Japan’s first underwater observation room, where you can peer straight into Chitose River. During September and October, when the salmon travel upstream, the whole window area becomes an intense scene of countless salmon struggling to get ahead. There is also a fish wheel on site that automatically captures any salmon it scoops up.

Lake Shikotsu Onsen

Lake Shikotsu Onsen, situated on the shores of Lake Shikotsu, is a small hot spring town offering several spa accommodations. Many of them are quiet overnight adult retreats, which are great when you want to take plenty of time to relax. Of course, there are establishments that offer same-day bathing too, which are a excellent just to refresh and sooth any built-up traveling fatigue.

Lake Shikotsu Sightseeing Boat (with underwater view)

Lake Shikotsu is a caldera lake in Shikotsu-Toya National Park. Hidden under its surface are cliff-like geological features called columnar joints. These are the result of rapid cooling of magma that took place when the caldera was formed.

This sightseeing boat has underwater windows from which you can observe the bottom of the lake. With a bit of luck you may spot schools of himemasu (kokanee salmon) too. Besides this boat with underwater view, there are also high-speed crafts and pedal boats available.

Lake Shikotsu Visitor Center

Located within the town of Lake Shikotsu Onsen, this visitor center has scale models and photos on display depicting flora and fauna living in and around Lake Shikotsu. It is a fairly well-known facility, which also has a himemasu tank.

Arguably its most popular attraction, the Moss Crevice, is no longer open to the public though, due to the danger of collapse.

The visitor center itself is actually not all that interesting, but it does fulfill a valuable role to all who would like to know more about the nature of the lake.

Lake Shikotsu Tourist Center

Why not try some himemasu (kokanee salmon) cuisine at Lake Shikotsu Tourist Center, a classic stopover for those traveling along the lake? It’s a nice place to take a break and enjoy the splendid view over the lake.

They rent out rowing boats and pedal boats too; so if the weather is good, this could be an excellent opportunity to get out onto the wide-open lake. Lake Shikotsu tends to produce some small waves too, so being out on a rowing boat can be pretty exciting!

Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival

Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival is a typical Hokkaido winter event that takes place every year from late January.

By spraying water from Lake Shikotsu with sprinklers onto various frameworks, ice sculptures of many different shapes and sizes are created. because of the ice’s high translucency, the sculptures look pale blue during the day, whereas at night they are illuminated in various colors to wonderful effect.

On the grounds there is a huge slide as well, which is another reason why this event is a lot of fun for both young and old. This is a must-see if you’re in the region at the right time of the year, even if it’s rather cold out there.

Conclusion

When making your way from New Chitose Airport to Sapporo by car, I recommend taking your time to make a little detour and visit some sightseeing locations along Lake Shikotsu, rather than going directly by an expressway or highway devoid of anything interesting along the way.

There are more sightseeing destinations that I included in this article, so if you consider traveling to Sapporo as being part of your vacation, then going for a fun drive around Lake Shikotsu is more than worth the added time and distance.

As much of the land surrounding the lake consists of forest, herds of deer occasionally come out onto the road. Please drive carefully, and try to anticipate the possibility of deer or other wild animals darting onto the road ahead.