Despite its physical disconnection from the rest of Japan and a slower pace of life than the country’s mainland metropolises, the island of Hokkaido has not been immune to change this past year — especially when it comes to what the northern prefecture puts on its plate.
Long known as the home of brown bears, powder snow, milk, corn and even bountiful space, Hokkaido welcomed a new type of creature this year: travelers en masse. With adventure tourism and the Sapporo Snow Festival as huge draws, summer and autumn have also become popular times to visit for both domestic and inbound tourists. Food and photography tours have taken off, with busloads of tourists inundating the likes of Biei’s crystal-clear blue pond and devouring delicacies such as prized Furano melons.
The town of Higashikawa was, in fact, named atop the list of Japan’s most liveable cities in large part due to its many cafes.