Hokkaido’s Autumn Foliage 2020 nd th October 22 -30 , 2020 7nts/9days fr: $2995 dbl/tpl $3395 single Colorful autumn leaves, known as koyo in Japanese, draw just as many visitors in autumn as the cherry blossoms do during spring. The viewing of autumn leaves has been a popular activity in Japan for centuries. There’s no better time to appreciate nature than autumn, when the hills are set ablaze with trees making their slow transition into winter. Get yourself front row seats to nature’s wildest show as she decorates the land in an explosion of glimmering gold, burnt-orange, and blood-red. The Hokkaido Autumn Foliage Tour offers you the very best of Northern Japan’s spectacular fall season. It’s all included, daily sightseeing, two onsen stays, two sake breweries, and Otaru, the bustling merchant port in its heyday. But, it doesn’t end quite yet as we have included three nights in Sapporo at the Century Royal Hotel, the best spot to call home. Besides touring, enjoy a complete free day to shop and sightsee on your own. Itinerary/Details Day 1 – October 22nd, 2020 Thursday – Depart from Honolulu Hawaiian Airlines #441 Departs Honolulu 1:10pm – Arrive Chitose 5:00 pm + 1 Meet up with your Panda Travel representative at the Hawaiian Airlines international check-in counters located in Terminal 2, Lobby 4 a minimum of 3 hours prior to the flight departure time. After clearing security, you will meet up once again at the gate area. Day 2 – October 23rd, 2020 Friday – Chitose On arrival in Chitose, please make your way to the baggage claim area. Free luggage carts are available. We suggest that you use one as once we exit the customs area there is a short walk to our hotel, the Air Terminal Hotel which is located right on the airport grounds. Our local English speaking guide will be waiting on the group. After checking in, enjoy free time to explore the airport area. There are so many dining options available to you and most stay open until 8pm. This airport also offers excellent shopping for local Hokkaido products. Accommodations: Air Terminal Hotel Free Day 3 – October 24th, 2020 Saturday – Chitose – Noboribetsu (B/D) After breakfast, please meet your guide by 8:00am for a full day of touring and late afternoon arrival in Noboribetsu, one of Japan’s most unique hot spring resorts and the most popular onsen town in Hokkaido. The morning begins with a visit to the Nibutani AINU Culture Museum and the opportunity to participate in an Ainu dance. The drive time is approximately 1.5 hours. Opened in 1992, the museum is devoted to the history and cultural assets of the Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaido. It is said that this museum may be the best exhibition of Ainu culture in Hokkaido. Besides the exceptional examples of Ainu craftwork here, the collection includes 919 items relating to the daily way of life of the local Ainu people. Enjoy free time to explore and for serious shoppers, the gift shop is a must stop, offering works from contemporary Ainu artisans. From here, we make our way to Michinoeki Lake Utonai, a lakeside area which is a popular spot for bird watching. Find yourself a lakeside seat that comes complete with a large picture window and binoculars so that you can capture the beauty of this area up close. This spot also serves as a rest area complete with a variety of food options and shops. Enjoy free time to explore and have lunch on your own. It is said that their surf clam kimchi made by the famous Yakiniku restaurant in Tomakomai, Kingoen, is ono with rice and sake. Other popular lunch items include surf clam gyoza, Tomakomai Curry Ramen, charcoal grilled pork rice bowl and many more. For souvenirs, the more popular items include the high-rise Wild Bird Society of Japan rain boots that come in a variety of colors. At the shop “Meal” the popular item is haskap berry ham, a specialty of Tomakomai. As we arrive in Noboribetsu, a stop at the Noboribetsu Date Jidaimura Village, From here we are off to Noboribetsu and a visit to the Noboribetsu Date Jidaimura Village, a history theme park highlighting the Edo Period, one of the most attractive era in Japanese history. Step back in time to enjoy traditional games, activities, theaters, street performances and more. The charm of ancient Japan is abundant as you mingle with the Ninja and Oiran courtesans so symbolic of the Edo Period. Enjoy free time here as well as lunch on your own. Next, off to visit Noboribetsu Jigokudani, or “Hell Valley”, a spectacular, valley just above the town of Noboribetsu Onsen, which displays hot steam vents, sulfurous streams, and other volcanic activity. It is a main source of Noboribetsu’s hot spring waters. From the valley, there are attractive walking trails through the wooded hills above Noboribetsu. If you follow them for about 20 to 30 minutes, you will get to Oyunuma, a sulfurous pond with a surface temperature of 50 degrees Celsius and a smaller, even hotter, mud pond nearby. Noboribetsu Jigokudani Flowing out of Oyunuma is a river called Oyunumagawa. Still hot, the river flows through the forest, making for an out- of-this-world sight. It is possible to follow the river for several hundred meters and enjoy a natural foot bath (ashiyu) along the way. Enjoy the autumn colors and spectacular scenery. From here we are off to our hotel, arriving at approximately 5:30 pm. A buffet dinner at the hotel begins at 6:00pm. Accommodations for tonight are at the Hotel Mahoroba, on the main street of Noboribetsuonsencho with a variety of souvenir shops just around the corner. It is also only a 10-minute walk to the Hell Valley. The indoor & outdoor onsen in this hotel are fantastic. The hotel claimed that they have the largest outdoor onsen in Japan with four different types of springs and a total of 31 different baths. Accommodations: Hotel Mahoroba Free- Japanese Style rooms Day 4 – October 25th, 2020 Sunday – Noboribetsu-Lake Toya-Hakodate (B/L/D) Please meet your guide by 9:00am as we are off for a full day of touring. The morning begins with a ride on the Usuzan Ropeway to enjoy the views from Mount Usu, an active volcano, which has erupted four times in the past 100 years, most recently in the year 2000. Mt. Usu is a 737-meter high active volcano that was formed to the south of Lake Toya, Hokkaido, about 20,000 years ago. At the foot of the mountain, rose Showa-shinzan, a Special Natural Monument of Japan, during the period from 1943 to 1945. The two mountains are protected as part of Shikotsu-Toya National Park. Mount Usu and Lake Toya joined the Global Geopark Network as “Toya Caldera and Usu Volcano Geopark,” which is one of the three Global Geoparks in Japan. The 106-passenger gondola brings you close to the volcano's summit. The upper station's observation deck offers panoramic views of Lake Toya and neighboring Showa Shinzan. From a second observation deck a short walk away, there are views of the ocean and Mount Usu's largest crater, which was formed in an eruption in 1977. Have you ever seen a bear standing up and waving at you? Well, you can see them here at the Show-shinzan Bear Ranch where we will be visiting next. Brown bears are the largest species of animals in Hokkaido and worshiped by Ainu, the native Hokkaido people, as the God. There are approximately 2,000 brown bears in Hokkaido and the number reported to be on the decline. There are approximately 100 bears being bred here of various ages. At the bear ranch souvenir shop, a couple of popular items are bear oil, which is used for dry skin as well as treating small sores and horse oil cream. Lunch is next, Japanese lunch at a local restaurant. This afternoon we are off to Lake Toya, part of the Shikotsu-Toya National Park. In addition to the lake itself, the Toyako region features hot springs and an active volcano, Mt. Usu. As if the landscape in Hokkaido couldn’t get any more beautiful, the natural beauty of Lake Toya will not soon be forgotten. As you walk around the lake, enjoy the views of Nakajima Islands and Mount Yotei in the distance. The Lake Toya area is incredibly beautiful, and especially during the fall when the leaves are changing to shades of yellow and orange Once here we are off to enjoy a boat cruise on the lake. Lake Toya is an ice-free lake, it never freezes, even in winter when the temperature falls quite drastically. There is a little island called Nakano-shima in the middle of the lake, and on it is the Toya-ko Lake Forest Museum, which is a part of the sightseeing boat route. Trout and smelt fishing are very popular sports in and around the lake. Next, a visit to the popular Kombukan Kelp Shop and Museum. In Japan, konbu is only gathered in Hokkaido and Touhoku. Long ago, konbu was gathered in Hokkaido and shipped all over the country using a water route called "Konbu Road". A total of 120,000 tons is produced every year within the country. 95% of that amount is gathered along the coastal lines of Hokkaido. In Japan, there are 45 different species of konbu. This facility has a planetarium-like movie theater, museum and a shop that sells a variety of kelp products.