Culture Tourism
Hokkaido offers winter fun
By Wang Wen and Cui Xiaohuo (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-02-02 10:50
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A flight from freezing Beijing to a hot spring in Japan is warmly embraced by some winter travelers and Noboribetsu, a city in Hokkaido, is considered among the best.
About 10,000 ton water pour out of the spring every day. Its temperature at the source can reach 45 C to 90 C.
The spring offers as many as 11 kinds of elements including sulfur, salt and alum, which aficionados believe can alleviate various illnesses and maintain health. A flight to Sapporo takes about four hours from Beijing. Noboribetsu can be reached from New Chitose Airport by a two-hour bus ride. There are 15 hotels around the hot spring offering travelers a range of accommodation.
Lee Hiu Wing, a 26-year-old from Hong Kong who works in Beijing, said the trip to Noboribetsu is one of her best physical experiences. "It's amazing to enjoy the warmth of the hot sulfur spring and the beautiful view of snow-covered volcanoes in a distance," she said. "Although the water in Hokkaido is not necessarily better than other hot springs I have been to in China, the peaceful air and warm hospitality created by my Japanese hosts make my one-week stay special."
Lee did not book a hotel because she knew she could easily pick one by herself with the help of the Japan airlines tourist center at Sapporo's airport.
Lee noted that brochures from the center were her guides to the best hotel, seafood and Japanese-style bar in the hot spring resort of Noboribetsu.
But once in Hokkaido, she warned "do not try to save money".
"It is common to spend 1,000 yuan without knowing it. Although well prepared, I find the trip costly no matter how I arrange it," Lee said. She added that the freezing winter in Hokkaido may be "harsh" sometimes.
