Say the word Hokkaido and a flurry of images may come to mind – abundant quantities of world-class powder snow, sleek design hotels, delicious local cuisine, steaming al fresco hot spring onsen baths.

Japan’s northernmost island Hokkaido is heaven for nature lovers. Visitors are spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing where to go – with plentiful winter sports and other outdoor activities, all unfolding against a rich natural landscape of mountains, forests, lakes and national parks, ever-shifting through the seasons.

Icebreaker Cruises & Drift Ice Walks

For one of Japan’s most far-flung experiences, head to Shiretoko Peninsula on the northeastern coast, which juts into the wild icy waters of the Sea of Okhotsk. Here, during the winter months, visitors can take part in a drift ice tour – travelling on board a small boat as it churns through the pure white drift ice which surreally covers the sea surface. The truly adventurous can don special dry suits and float in seawater between ice cracks – or even try out some ice diving, looking up at the light from underwater.

Shiretoko is a year-round nature treat. The volcanic landscape is home to an expansive national park with a thriving plethora of rare flora and fauna, from alpine flowers to brown bears and orcas, plus dramatically diverse ecosystems spanning forests, sea and rivers.

Windsor Hotel Toya

Another Hokkaido highlight is the historic Windsor Hotel Toya Resort & Spa - an elegantly stately hotel perched on Mount Poromoi in southern Hokkaido. It offers the ultimate rooms-with-a-view: windows frame scenic panoramas either across the still waters of the caldera Lake Toya, or the coastal waters of Uchiura Bay, all wrapped in national park landscape. In addition to a string of dining options, guests can also enjoy numerous experiences in nature, from stargazing tours and horse trekking to canoeing and golf.

Ainu Cultural Experience

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Meanwhile, at atmospheric Lake Akan in the Kushiro region, the focus lies firmly on the rich, ancient layers of the island’s indigenous Ainu culture. Here, on the shores of the volcanic crater lake is an Ainu settlement fringed with woods, where visitors can explore the landscape with an Ainu guide – learning about an insightful spectrum of Ainu traditions, prayers and rituals along the way.

Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono

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For many, however, a trip to Hokkaido is incomplete without visiting Niseko, a mountain ski resort area which has become a magnet for lovers of skiing and snowboarding, due to its famously high-quality – and abundant – annual powder snowfall.

It’s not just winter sports, however, that are turning heads in Niseko: over the past few decades, it has steadily transformed into a top-quality resort with countless high-end luxury hotels and architect-designed residences, plus a growing number of award-winning restaurants.

One good example of next-generation Niseko is the Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono. Among a string of openings in recent years, the hotel’s luxurious design offers a sleek modern riff on contemporary Japanese aesthetics, with 100 elegant guestrooms and walls of glass framing stunning panoramas of the Annupuri range plus – a symbol of Niseko – the perfectly formed triangular lines of Mount Yotei.

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