Visit to Hokkaido, Japan

Since coming to Hong Kong in 1995, I have visited Japan nine times, mainly to attend conferences. I have been to Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Hiroshima, and Nagoya. My favorite location in Japan is Hokkaido, the northernmost island. I have just completed my fourth visit there, and, in the next few blogs, I'll describe some highlights of this visit there.

When Hong Kong sizzles in the summer heat, a visit to Hokkaido seems the best option. It's only about 4 hours from Hong Kong, is greener, less crowded, and cooler. With an area of 78,000 sq. kms., Hokkaido is larger than Sri Lanka, but the population is only around 5 million, and nearly 2 million live in the capital Sapporo. So, the island is full of sleepy little towns and hamlets, charming to someone like me who prefers the green grass to city living.

Last year, I drove in New Zealand for two weeks, and on this visit to Hokkaido, I saw a number of similarities between the two places. Both are agricultural, sparsely populated, rural, green, full of farmlands interspersed with forests, streams, and rivers. Last evening, I returned from Hokkaido, refreshed and rejuvenated, straight into the 32 Celsius heat and humidity of Hong Kong. Such is life!