One day trip out of Sapporo

Hi Nessie3 and Amanda

I will have 2-day in Sapporo in early April. I intend to spend half a day at Otaru, is that enough? Are those glass and musical box shops/factory or only selective ones are open to public access? If yes, which are those that i can visit?

Need your advise on another day trip out of Sapporo, preferably with less than 2 hrs travelling time.

Thank you in advance for your advise.

One day trip out of Sapporo

Half a day is enough for Otaru. The glass studios are really shops, so they%26#39;re open to the public. There are also glass crafts classes. The music box factory is actually a museum/shop. It also has classes in music-box making. Otaru is an easy 40-minute train ride from Sapporo. Otaru has a good aquarium, as well as ';herring mashions'; from the city%26#39;s heyday as a fishing and financial town.

For other days trips, consider these:

Jozankei - a hot spring district of Sapporo that%26#39;s 1 hour south of downtown, accesible by bus.

Noboribetsu Onsen - a hot spring town about 2 hours from Sapporo by bus (maybe a bit far for a day trip)

Shakotan Peninsula - buses run to this peninsula, wihch is west of Otaru; at the windy capes here you%26#39;ll see dramatic scenery and possibly migrating seals.

Lake Shikotsu - 1 hour south of Sapporo, this caldera lake is in the heart of a national park; you can make a 1-hour hike up Mt. Tarumae, an active volcano.

One day trip out of Sapporo

Thanks Nessie3 for your suggestions. Yes, I will try the Otaru Shakotan Peninsula route. Not sure if i can visit the Todai Market along the way? I hope to stop for lunch there if there is a sushi place or anything like that?

There is also a Rinyu Morning Market near the bus terminal..may be i will try that out instead since its nearer to the Otaru town.

I will check out either Jozanki or ake Shikotus for my 2nd day trip. Hope i got the time to find out some details before my trip before next Friday...Looking forward to Hakkaido