{"id":35752,"date":"2017-01-09T11:45:54","date_gmt":"2017-01-09T03:45:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifestinymiracles.com\/?p=35752"},"modified":"2017-10-22T12:25:45","modified_gmt":"2017-10-22T04:25:45","slug":"driving-in-hokkaido-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifestinymiracles.com\/2017\/01\/driving-in-hokkaido-winter\/","title":{"rendered":"Self-Drive Hokkaido: Winter Driving Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hokkaido is a popular winter destination for families like us wishing to experience fresh pure \u2018powdery\u2019 snow without having to travel halfway around the globe. For those who wish to travel at their \u201cown time, own target\u201d, self-drive is an attractive option.   We recently did a self-drive Hokkaido trip and here are some useful driving tips to share.<\/p>\n

For the record, we rented the car only for 3 days: picked it up in Sapporo, drove to Lake Toya, Noboribetsu and returned the car in Niseko. On the last day of our trip, we opted to take an airport limousine bus shuttle from Niseko to the New Chitose International Airport (in Sapporo) for our flight back to Singapore. The bus ride took 3 hours.<\/p>\n

If you are planning a self-drive trip in Hokkaido during winter, here’s a strong word of caution:<\/p>\n

The golden rule is always plan to arrive at your destination BEFORE the skies turn dark at around 4pm. Hokkaido roads are winding, narrow and become pitch dark after sun down. These roads are usually covered with snow and ice during winter, making it extremely dangerous to navigate at night.<\/p>\n

Even with 27 years of safe driving record both in Australia and Singapore, I had to navigate the self-drive in Hokkaido very cautiously as the road conditions are unfamiliar to me and my family\u2019s safety is paramount.<\/p>\n