{"id":300,"date":"2026-03-16T18:22:50","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T18:22:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/samuraicampers.com\/Itineraries\/?page_id=300"},"modified":"2026-06-12T13:17:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T13:17:21","slug":"21-day-northern-japan-tohoku-hokkaido","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/samuraicampers.com\/itineraries\/21-day-northern-japan-tohoku-hokkaido\/","title":{"rendered":"21 Days Through Northern Japan, and Why Almost Everyone Underestimates the Distances"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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21 Days Through Northern Japan, and Why Almost Everyone Underestimates the Distances<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Pickup: Tokyo branch | Return: Tokyo branch | Best for: northern coastlines, seafood, national parks and open roads<\/em><\/p>

By the Samurai Campers Operations Team | Updated 2026<\/em><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/article><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Hokkaido looks small on a map of Japan. It isn’t. The island is 83,000 square kilometres larger than Ireland, larger than Austria, comparable to Scotland and Wales combined. The drives between major stops are routinely 4\u20136 hours. Petrol stations thin out north of Asahikawa. Mobile reception drops in the Shiretoko peninsula. Anyone who tells you they ‘did Hokkaido in a week’ did the south coast and called it done.<\/p>

This 21-day route doesn’t try to do everything. It does the Sanriku Coast in Tohoku easily the most beautiful coastline in mainland Japan then crosses to Hokkaido for the wild parts: Shakotan, Wakkanai, Shiretoko, Kushiro. Sapporo is on the route but only as a logistics stop. If you came for the city, this isn’t your itinerary.<\/p>

Pickup and return at our Tokyo branch<\/u><\/a>. The Aomori-to-Hakodate ferry is integral to the route. Confirm with our team that your rental plan permits the ferry crossing not all plans do.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/article><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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