"Hokkaido Driving Guide 2025-2026 Autumn/Winter Edition"
Make your everyday drives even more enjoyable! Full of information about the entire Hokkaido area!
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- "Hokkaido Driving Guide 2025-2026 Autumn/Winter Edition"
October 10, 2020
East Nippon Expressway Co., Ltd.
Hokkaido Regional Head Office
NEXCO EAST Hokkaido Regional Head Office (Atsubetsu-ku, Sapporo) has published the "Hokkaido Driving Guide 2025-2026 Autumn/Winter Edition" (hereinafter referred to as the "Hokkaido Driving Guide") with the aim of promoting driving tourism within Hokkaido and promoting the region's attractions.
Starting today, 42,000 copies will be distributed free of charge at service areas (SA), parking areas (PA), roadside stations, airports, and other locations across Hokkaido. Distribution will end once all copies are distributed.
We also offer a web version that can be easily viewed for free on your computer or smartphone. Links and address information are also easily accessible, so please make use of the web version.
The Hokkaido Driving Guide is a compact information booklet packed with useful information for driving, such as restaurants and tourist spots in Hokkaido, and what to do in emergencies on Expressway.
What's more, by showing the magazine or the online version, you can receive special discounts and other benefits at 28 of the facilities featured in the magazine. Be sure to take advantage of this during the autumn and winter tourist season.
1. Special Feature in This Issue
- Enjoy Hokkaido Ballpark F Village even on non-game days!
This is a new, creative community space located on a vast site of approximately 32 hectares, aiming to create a town that encourages live entertainment in harmony with nature, wellness that nurtures the mind and body, and vibrant cultural exchange. Please feel free to drop by even on days when there are no games.
- Why? The Mystery of the Wooden Carved Bear
Once a popular Hokkaido souvenir, wooden carved bears have recently seen a resurgence in popularity. We will introduce the profound charm of these beloved items that transcend generations, and how to enjoy them today.
- Learn more about Hokkaido rice!
Hokkaido, one of Japan's leading rice-producing regions, is one of the top producers of rice in Japan in terms of both planting area and harvest volume. In addition to popular varieties of non-glutinous rice, there are also a variety of characteristics of glutinous rice and sake rice. Enjoy sweets and dishes that make the most of each variety's characteristics, and learn tips for cooking fluffy, delicious rice to make your daily meals even more enjoyable.
- Hokkaido Airport Guide PART 2
Each airport scattered across Hokkaido is packed with its own charms, including local dishes, souvenirs, and unique scenery. In this issue of PART 2, we will introduce New Chitose Airport, Memanbetsu Airport, Nemuro Nakashibetsu Airport, Wakkanai Airport, Tancho Kushiro Airport, and Okhotsk Monbetsu Airport.
2. Recommended pickup in the area! ～ Southern Hokkaido, Central Hokkaido, Northern Hokkaido, Eastern Hokkaido ～
We asked the Regional Promotion Bureau about the attractions of each area. We also introduce recommended restaurants, tourist facilities, and hot springs. If you show the screen of this magazine or the online version, you can receive discounts and other benefits at the facilities listed, so please take advantage of this opportunity.
3. Recommended spots for the Hokkaido Smartphone Stamp Rally
We'd like to introduce the Japan Heritage Site "Coal, Iron, and Steel Port" as a recommended spot for the "Hokkaido Smartphone Stamp Rally 2025" organized by NEXCO EAST. Tour the "Coal, Iron, and Steel Port" and get the Japan Heritage Site "Coal, Iron, and Steel Port" award!
Also, from December 1st, winter-only stamps will be available, so look forward to it!
4. Recommended events in Hokkaido
We will introduce some recommended events in Hokkaido in autumn and winter. Be sure to check out these fun events that are unique to Hokkaido.
5. 55 people who respond to our reader survey will be chosen at random to receive a wonderful gift.
We have prepared gourmet recommendations from various areas of Hokkaido for 40 winners, and a prize for visiting famous hot springs for 15 winners. Please apply!
6. Main distribution location
- Each SA / PA in Hokkaido
- New Chitose Airport, Hakodate Airport, Asahikawa Airport, Tokachi Obihiro Airport, Tancho Kushiro Airport, Memanbetsu Airport, Wakkanai Airport, Okhotsk Monbetsu Airport, Nemuro Nakashibetsu Airport
- All roadside stations in Hokkaido
- Hokkaido Sapporo Tourist Information Center, Dosanko Plaza stores, Tomakomai West Port Ferry Terminal, Muroran Port Ferry Terminal, Otaru Ferry Terminal, major rental car company stores
[NEXCO EAST Hokkaido Regional Head Office Drive Tourism Promotion Initiative]
We are taking various measures to further promote driving tourism in Hokkaido.
- Hokkaido Smartphone Stamp Rally (currently underway)
We are running a campaign where participants visit stamp collection spots around the country, collect stamps, and submit their entry. - HOKKAIDO LOVE! Michitoku Free Pass (on sale now)
We sell discounted tickets that allow unlimited use of Expressway for a fixed price. - Hokkaido Highway Show Area
An event is held every year to promote the appeal of local food and tourism, using Expressway service areas and parking areas as show windows for the region. (The event ended in 2025.)
NEXCO EAST Group is undertaking a variety of initiatives to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs and transform the society into one that will bring about a new future.
We believe that publishing the Hokkaido Driving Guide will contribute to SDGs 8 and 17 as a business activity that promotes sustainable tourism and revitalizes local communities.
“ScenicByway” is a combination of the adjective Scenic of landscape and scene, and Byway, which means side road and more road.
This initiative brings together local communities and governments through roads to "create beautiful landscapes," "build vibrant communities," and "create attractive tourist spaces." Each route is carrying out unique activities that are unique to the area, such as planting flowers and cleaning the roads, developing recommended scenic spots in the area, and disseminating information about them. Currently, there are 15 designated routes and two candidate routes, and about 500 organizations are active. NEXCO EAST Hokkaido Regional Head Office is also participating in this initiative.
For more information, please see the Scenic Byway Hokkaido website.
NEXCO EAST Hokkaido Regional Head Office is participating in the "HOKKAIDO LOVE! Project," a collaborative project between Hokkaido and the Hokkaido Tourism Organization, a public interest incorporated association, with the aim of supporting the tourism industry in various parts of Hokkaido.
As a collaboration between "NEXCO EAST NEXCO!" Based on the philosophy of this project, we will make efforts to boost tourism in our beloved Hokkaido.
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