Niseko (Resort Dining and Winter Eating) is a food day trips in Sapporo.
Niseko's resort village runs Sapporo's strongest winter dining outside the city. Sushi Shin by Miyakawa, the Niseko sister of the three-star Sapporo room.
Tip: Three-hour direct bus from Sapporo Station; resort December through April.
Furano's lavender-and-cheese country sits two hours east of Sapporo by train. Furano Cheese Factory runs cheese-making demos and a lavender ice cream stand.
Tip: Lavender peaks late June to mid-July; the cheese factory is year-round.
Hakodate's Asaichi morning market is the southern Hokkaido counterpart to Nijo. Live squid (ikodon), uni and salmon roe over rice; a long day-trip option.
Tip: Asaichi opens 05:00; the live-squid don is the morning's icon.
Lake Toya is the southern Hokkaido caldera-lake resort, the 2008 G8 host. Windsor Hotel's lake-view dining and Tokachi wagyu anchor the day-trip food.
Tip: Best in summer through autumn; combine with a Showa-Shinzan onsen stop.
Hokkaido's port-town day trip 30 minutes from Sapporo. Sankaku Market sushi, LeTAO cheesecake honten and the Otaru Beer brewery all in walking distance.
Tip: Sankaku Market opens 06:00; lunch by 12:00 is busy. JR Hakodate Line, 30-minute ride.
Nikka Whisky's Hokkaido distillery sits in Yoichi an hour west of Sapporo. Free tour, paid tasting and a small museum on Nikka's founder Masataka Taketsuru.
Tip: Tours run hourly; book online to skip the queue. Closed Mondays.
Hokkaido's number-two food city, 90 minutes from Sapporo. Asahikawa's distinctive shoyu ramen and a small ramen-village; alternative to Sapporo miso.
Tip: Ramen Village is a 15-minute drive from JR Asahikawa Station; bus from the platform.