Visit Sapporo, Japan

Hokkaido’s capital, Sapporo, dates back only 120 years, and this bright, cosmopolitan city, well-endowed with gardens and parks, makes the perfect base from which to head out and explore the island.

In recent times it has played host to the Winter Olympics and matches in the 2002 Football World Cup, and each February the city welcomes the world to the wonderful Sapporo Snow Festival, an ice-sculpting extravaganza on an epic scale.

Around Sapporo

Further south, separated from the mainland by the narrow Tsugaru Straits, is the charming port town of Hakodate. There is something of the feel of Nagasaki here, with the intriguing mixture of Japanese and Western architecture giving an unexpectedly cosmopolitan atmosphere. Take a cable-car at dusk to the summit of Mount Hakodate and watch as the sparkling lights of town radiate out into the distance.