On May, we took a 2-night, 3-day road trip from Sapporo, driving through the Asahikawa and Abashiri areas — and I’m putting the whole real-life trip into one big blog post!
Spots where the kids could run wild, an izakaya with a kids’ play space, a whole-house Airbnb stay, incredible gelato… it was a wonderful three days.
If you’re driving from Sapporo toward Asahikawa and Abashiri, the expressway (the Asahikawa–Monbetsu Expressway) connects the route with toll-free sections, so it’s actually a surprisingly easy trip. I hope this helps you plan your own ♪
[Trip Overview] A Sapporo Road Trip: 2-Night, 3-Day Model Course for Asahikawa & Abashiri
Dates: Golden Week (2 nights, 3 days)
Transport: Our own car (departing from and returning to Sapporo)
Members: Our family (with an elementary-schooler and a preschooler)
Lodging: Night 1 / Airbnb (Pippu Town), Night 2 / Airbnb (Bihoro Town)
Day 1, we played our way around the Asahikawa area and stayed overnight in Pippu Town. Day 2, we headed to Abashiri to visit Abashiri Prison and stayed in Bihoro Town. Day 3, we soaked up the Okhotsk region and drove home to Sapporo via Engaru. Here’s the route — let me introduce each spot right away!
[Day 1] Asahikawa Area — Packed with Spots the Kids Will Love ♪
[SPOT 1] Asahikawa Science Center “Saipal”
The basics
- Address: 1-3-32, Miyamae 1-jo, Asahikawa
- Access: About 25 minutes from the Asahikawa-Takasu IC on the Doō Expressway
- Hours: 9:30–17:00 (last entry 16:30)
- Closed: Mondays (the following day if a public holiday), the last weekday of each month, year-end and New Year
- Admission: Permanent exhibits / Adults ¥410, high schoolers ¥280, junior high and younger free. Planetarium / Adults ¥330, high schoolers ¥220, junior high and younger free
- Parking: 81 spaces, free
Mai’s Tips
- Fun factor: ★★★★★
- Learning factor: ★★★★★
- Junior high students and younger get in free — easy on the family wallet!
- Three zones — “Northern Land, Earth, Space” — full of hands-on exhibits
- The “zero-gravity gyro” is a huge hit with kids!
- A planetarium and observatory too, so you can easily spend a whole day here
- There’s a baby corner, so it’s reassuring even with an infant
- One of Hokkaido’s largest science centers — you can play full-out even on a rainy day
We kicked off the trip with an early-morning visit to Saipal! My child was thrilled spinning round and round on the “space gyro” zero-gravity experience. Earthquake simulators, the “Nadarenger,” the optical-illusion room — every exhibit lets kids learn with their whole bodies, and their eyes were sparkling. It has a charm all its own, different from Sapporo’s youth science center, so do stop by if you make it to Asahikawa!
[SPOT 2] Daisetsu Kamikawa Nukumo
The basics
- Address: 139-5 Shinonome, Kamikawa Town, Kamikawa District, Hokkaido
- Access: About 45 minutes by car from JR Asahikawa Station / about 5 minutes from the Kamikawa-Sōunkyō IC on the Asahikawa–Monbetsu Expressway
- Hours: 10:00–16:30
- Closed: Tuesdays (the following day if a public holiday)
- Admission: Free space / free! The Play Room (teamLab) costs extra
- Parking: Available, free
Mai’s Tips
- Fun factor: ★★★★★
- Wood-warmth factor: ★★★★★
- A lovely facility renovated from a closed-down elementary school
- A 90-degree sheer “wall bank” modeled on the Daisetsu Mountains — the kids went wild!
- teamLab’s “A Table Where Little People Live” — programming play available year-round
- A café with self-roasted coffee, so grown-ups can take it slow too
- The cute marshmallow-topped “Nukumo Cocoa” ♪
- A diaper-changing space, so it’s worry-free with a baby
After Saipal, we stopped by Nukumo for lunch! It was too cute watching my child climb straight up that near-90-degree wooden wall. In the teamLab play room, kids get the amazing experience of seeing a picture they’ve drawn come to life on screen — my child was captivated. With the adjoining café, you can keep an eye on the kids over a cup of coffee — a perfect spot for a parents’ break!
[SPOT 3] Tōma Town Kurumina Wood Play Hall
The basics
- Address: 6-jo Nishi 4-3-1, Tōma Town, Kamikawa District, Hokkaido
- Access: About 30 minutes by car from central Asahikawa
- Hours: 10:00–17:00
- Closed: Every Wednesday; open daily otherwise except year-end and New Year
- Admission: Free for Tōma Town residents (¥100 for non-residents aged 1 and up)
- Parking: Available, free
Mai’s Tips
- Fun factor: ★★★★☆
- Baby-friendly factor: ★★★★★
- A wood-education facility you can enjoy for free!
- Plenty of wooden toys made from timber grown in Tōma
- A wooden ball pit, a play kitchen, ride-on boats and cars — even babies can play
- You can watch the woodworking process through a glass window
- A picture-book corner too — great for rainy days
Tōma Town promotes “food education, wood education, and flower education” as a community-wide effort, and Kurumina Wood Play Hall is its wood-education hub. The touch of the wooden toys feels genuinely wonderful — a space that puts grown-ups at ease too ♪ There’s plenty of equipment little ones can enjoy safely, so it’s truly recommended for families with babies. And honestly, the best part is it’s free!
[SPOT 4] Pippu Town Central Fureai Plaza
The basics
- Address: Nishimachi 4-1, Pippu Town, Kamikawa District, Hokkaido
- Access: About 7 minutes on foot from JR Pippu Station / about 5 minutes by car from the Pippu JCT on the Doō Expressway
- Open season: Late April to late October (varies with weather)
- Admission: Free!
- Parking: Dedicated park parking available
Mai’s Tips
- Fun factor: ★★★★★
- Value for money: ★★★★★ (free!)
- Just reopened after renovation in July 2025 — the playground equipment is brand-new
- Loaded with features: a large combination play structure, a bouncy dome, net climbers, a 4-seat swing, a ropeway ride
- Wide lawns where kids can run free
- Dedicated parking, restrooms, and a gazebo
- The bouncy dome has different hours by season, so check ahead (9:00–18:00 from April to August)
After enjoying the wooden toys at Nukumo and the Wood Play Hall, it was time for the kids to burn off some energy! Pippu Town Central Fureai Plaza was just renovated in 2025, so the equipment is sparkling clean. With a bouncy dome, a big combination structure, and even a ropeway ride, it really was a kids’ paradise. Hard to believe all of this is free… Pippu Town is amazing.
[SPOT 5] Jiyū-Honpō Sumiyaki-bu, Nagayama Branch
The basics
- Address: Powers Alpha Building 2F, Nagayama 11-jo 4, Asahikawa, Hokkaido
- Access: About 7 minutes on foot from JR Minami-Nagayama Station / about 15 minutes by car from Asahiyama Zoo
- Hours: 17:00–24:00 (L.O. 23:30)
- Closed: Open year-round (closed Dec 31 – Jan 1)
- Parking: Available, free
Mai’s Tips
- Family satisfaction: ★★★★★
- Parent satisfaction: ★★★★★
- A revolutionary izakaya with a kids’ play space right next to your table!
- Loads of play gear — a slide, toys, a drawing board, DVDs
- Free kids’ drinks for elementary-schoolers and younger — so nice
- A self-serve all-you-can-drink plan, so grown-ups can relax too
- Sunken kotatsu seating, private rooms, and a karaoke room
- High-quality charcoal-grilled yakitori — the seared nigiri-style meat is superb
You tend to give up on izakayas when you have kids, right? But not here! In a near-miraculous layout, the kids’ play space sits right beside your table, so the grown-ups can take their time over a drink while watching the kids play. The owner reportedly designed the service by thinking back on “what made me happy as a kid myself” — there’s even free cotton candy, the kind of thing that makes children cry with joy. A must-stop if you’re in Asahikawa.
Our Airbnb Stay
Night 1 was at an Airbnb in Pippu Town (a whole-house type)! A quiet place out in nature where the kids could spread out and relax — a genuinely welcome thing on a family trip.
[Day 2] From Asahikawa to Abashiri — Soaking Up Okhotsk’s History and Nature
[SPOT 6] Roadside Station Engaru “Mori no Okhotsk”
The basics
- Address: 150-1 Nogami, Engaru Town, Monbetsu District, Hokkaido
- Access: Directly connected to the Engaru IC on the Asahikawa–Monbetsu Expressway
- Hours: Varies by facility (shop and food court 9:00–18:00, etc.)
- Closed: Varies by facility
- Parking: 9 large / 178 standard, free
Mai’s Tips
- Stopover factor: ★★★★★
- Activity factor: ★★★★★
- Hokkaido’s first roadside station with an attached ski resort (Engaru Rock Valley Ski Area)
- In summer, packed with activities — zip-lining, tree trekking, a summer ski slope, a bungee trampoline
- Indoor craft and hands-on making experiences
- A high-concentration carbonated-spring footbath to ease tired legs
- A well-stocked café and food court
- Character battery cars and a dog run too
We stopped here on the way from Asahikawa toward Abashiri! It’s a roadside station deep in the forest — we meant to just take a break, but the kids got hooked on the activities and we ended up playing for real (laughs). Zip-lining and tree trekking require reservations, so book ahead if you want to play properly. You can do craft experiences indoors even on rainy days, which is another lovely thing — the weather won’t make or break your visit.
[SPOT 7] Abashiri Prison Museum
The basics
- Address: 1-1 Yobito, Abashiri, Hokkaido
- Access: About 7 minutes by car from JR Abashiri Station
- Hours: 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:00)
- Closed: December 31 and January 1
- Admission: Adults ¥1,500, high schoolers ¥1,000, elementary and junior high ¥750 / prison meal ¥900
- Parking: 400 spaces, free
Mai’s Tips
- History-learning factor: ★★★★★
- Kids’ reaction: ★★★★☆
- A vast site about 3.5 times the size of Tokyo Dome, preserving buildings actually used since the Meiji era
- 25 structures, including 4 Important Cultural Properties and 3 Registered Tangible Cultural Properties
- The “Prison Experience Theater” lets you simulate an inmate’s daily life
- You can even try a prison meal (saury or atka mackerel)!
- Diaper-changing sheets and stroller rentals — reassuring for little ones
- The souvenir shop is wonderfully well-stocked and fun
A spot to learn some distinctly Hokkaido history! Just hearing the name “Abashiri Prison” sounds scary, but it’s actually a precious open-air museum deeply tied to the history of Hokkaido’s pioneering era. The five wooden single-story cell wings radiating outward are striking, and my child was wide-eyed with curiosity, going “Wow!” You can try the prison meal (surprisingly tasty), there are tons of souvenirs — we enjoyed it far more than we expected!
Our Airbnb Stay
Night 2 was at an Airbnb in Bihoro Town (a whole-house type)! It’s about 20–30 minutes by car from central Abashiri, and given our plans for the next day, staying in Bihoro was convenient. We relaxed as a family in the spacious place and got ready for the day ahead ♪
[Day 3] Play, Eat, and Savor Okhotsk!
[SPOT 8] Okhotsk Ryūhyō (Drift Ice) Museum
The basics
- Address: 244-3 Tentozan, Abashiri, Hokkaido
- Access: About 10 minutes by car from Abashiri Station
- Hours: Summer (May–Oct) 8:30–18:00 / Winter (Nov–Apr) 9:00–16:30
- Closed: Open year-round
- Admission: Adults ¥990, high schoolers ¥880, elementary and junior high ¥770
- Parking: 150 spaces, free
Mai’s Tips
- Experience factor: ★★★★★
- Kids’ reaction: ★★★★★
- Touch real drift ice on the −15°C drift-ice experience terrace!
- The hugely popular “shibare experience,” where a wet towel freezes stiff
- Meet adorable creatures like the “angel of the drift ice,” the clione, and the lumpsucker fish
- A 400-inch, 5-screen drift-ice fantasy theater with real impact
- The 207m Tentozan observation deck offers free, sweeping views of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Shiretoko mountains
First thing in the morning, we headed up Mount Tentozan. Golden Week mornings in Hokkaido are still chilly — and here it’s a −15°C world on top of that (laughs). Swing a dampened towel around and it really does freeze solid! Kids and grown-ups alike were buzzing — “What?!” The clione are adorable, and the 360-degree panorama from the rooftop deck is breathtaking. The lovely thing is you can see real drift ice even outside the drift-ice season.
[SPOT 9] Hokkaido Okhotsk Park “Tento-Land”
The basics
- Address: Yasaka 1, Abashiri, Hokkaido
- Access: About 15 minutes by car from JR Abashiri Station / about 10 minutes by car from central Abashiri
- Hours: Center House 9:00–17:00 / Korokoro Hiroba 10:00–16:00
- Closed: Korokoro Hiroba closed on the 4th Monday (the following weekday if a public holiday) and year-end/New Year
- Admission: Use of the play areas is free! (camping is charged separately)
- Parking: 67 spaces plus an overflow lot of about 50, free
Mai’s Tips
- Fun factor: ★★★★★
- Value for money: ★★★★★
- A vast site about 23 times the size of Tokyo Dome!
- The outdoor “Adventure Forest” is full of some of the largest play structures in Hokkaido
- The indoor “Korokoro Hiroba” is a play hall you can enjoy even on rainy days
- A quality of play area you’d never expect to be free
- Facilities suited to everyone from toddlers to elementary-schoolers
- A campground and park-golf course on site too
It’s right near the Drift Ice Museum — by car you’re there in no time! The outdoor “Adventure Forest” is just enormous and well-equipped with play structures, and it’s free! We played hunter-tag as a family and had a great time. There’s the indoor “Korokoro Hiroba” too, so rainy days are covered. To think this costs nothing — Hokkaido’s prefectural parks are amazing…!
[SPOT 10] Gelateria Rimo, Abashiri Main Store
The basics
- Address: Yobito 418, Abashiri, Hokkaido
- Access: About 10 minutes by car from JR Abashiri Station / about 15 minutes by car from Memanbetsu Airport / along National Route 39
- Hours: 11:00–17:00 (closes when sold out)
- Closed: Wednesdays
- Parking: Available (about 20 spaces)
Mai’s Tips
- Taste quality: ★★★★★
- Reputation: ★★★★★
- The shop of chef Satoshi Takada — the only Japanese person to win a double title at Italy’s gelato world championships!
- Featured on the TV show “Matsuko no Shiranai Sekai,” it’s wildly popular
- Selected for Tabelog’s “Top 100 Ice Cream & Gelato 2023”
- Made with 100% Abashiri milk from the local Iwamoto Ranch
- “Ibara,” a gelato made with Abashiri’s specialty horsehair crab, is shockingly delicious
- Pistachio is the signature flavor, and the classic flavors are superb too
After playing at Tento-Land, we went to Rimo before lunch! Honestly, this is a gelato shop I’d secretly wanted to visit for ages — I finally made it! The much-talked-about horsehair-crab gelato had the rich depth of pistachio interwoven with the savory aroma of crab — a truly one-of-a-kind flavor. The kids loved the classics, milk and strawberry. There’s a branch in Sapporo now, but the atmosphere of eating at the Abashiri main store is something special!
[SPOT 11] WONDER (Bihoro Town)
The basics
- Address: Ōdōri Kita 3-12-4, Bihoro Town, Abashiri District, Hokkaido
- Access: About 15 minutes on foot from JR Bihoro Station / about 3 minutes by car
- Hours: 11:30–21:00 / 22:00 / 24:00 (varies by day of the week)
- Closed: Thursdays plus irregular days
- Parking: 9 spaces
Mai’s Tips
- Taste quality: ★★★★★
- Local popularity: ★★★★★
- A hidden-gem burger and pancake shop popular with locals in Bihoro Town
- The “Bihoro Pork Burger” took runner-up at the Hokkaido Local Burger Grand Prix
- Fluffy buns fermented with natural yeast — delicious
- Pancakes made with Hokkaido-grown wheat flour are recommended too
- Takeout available (calling ahead is safest)
- Unusual menu items too, like the mentaiko-mozzarella cheeseburger
After gelato at Rimo, we wanted something a bit more hearty, so we headed to WONDER! It’s a small place run by a couple, but the burgers are seriously authentic and juicy. The burger made with local Bihoro pork has the meat’s flavor packed right in — kids and grown-ups polished it off. It can get busy with a wait, so the call-ahead takeout option is handy!
[SPOT 12] Wooden Toy World Hall “Cha Cha World”
The basics
- Address: 143-4 Ikutahara, Engaru Town, Monbetsu District, Hokkaido
- Access: About 11 minutes on foot from “Ikutahara Station” on the JR Sekihoku Main Line / about 5 minutes by car from the Engaru-Ikutahara IC on the Asahikawa–Monbetsu Expressway
- Hours: Apr–Oct / 9:30–18:00, Nov–Mar / 10:00–17:00
- Closed: Open daily Apr–Oct; Mondays Nov–Mar (the following day if a public holiday); Dec 28 – Jan 1
- Admission: Adults (junior high and up) ¥700, elementary-schoolers ¥350, preschoolers free
- Parking: 150 spaces, free
Mai’s Tips
- Fun factor: ★★★★★
- Wood-education factor: ★★★★★
- Around 10,000 wooden toys from about 40 countries on display and in the collection
- A castle-like exterior that lifts your spirits just from the outside!
- A corner where you can play with French “KAPLA” building blocks
- Plenty of hands-on play gear — a wooden ball pit, a slide, tricycles
- The “Korobokkuru Shadow-Picture Museum,” showcasing works by shadow artist Seiji Fujishiro, is well worth seeing
- You can even try making wooden toys at the “Geppetto Woodworking Studio”
For our last stop on the way home to Sapporo, we dropped by Cha Cha World! A fairy-tale castle of a building appears suddenly along the national highway, and my child was glued to the window going, “What is THAT?!” (laughs). Inside it’s a treasure trove of wooden toys — stacking KAPLA blocks endlessly, rolling around in the ball pit — the kids played to the very last minute. Seiji Fujishiro’s shadow-picture museum is a hidden gem that grown-ups can take their time enjoying too!
[Trip Plan] Asahikawa & Abashiri 2-Night, 3-Day Timetable
Here’s the actual schedule we followed — feel free to use it as a reference ♪
Day 1: Play your way around the Asahikawa area!
- 9:30 — Asahikawa Science Center “Saipal” — soak up science with hands-on exhibits
- 13:15 — Daisetsu Kamikawa Nukumo — wood warmth and teamLab play
- 15:30 — Tōma Town Kurumina Wood Play Hall — a free wood-education facility, safe for babies
- 17:30 — Pippu Town Central Fureai Plaza — run free on the wide lawns
- 18:30 — Arrive at the Airbnb (Pippu Town) — relax in a whole house
- 19:30 — Jiyū-Honpō Sumiyaki-bu (Asahikawa) — dinner at an izakaya with a kids’ play space
Day 2: Move from Asahikawa to Abashiri! Soak up Okhotsk’s history
- 10:00 — Roadside Station Engaru “Mori no Okhotsk” — activities and craft experiences in the forest
- 13:30 — Abashiri Prison Museum — learn the history of Hokkaido’s pioneering era and shop for souvenirs
- 18:00 — Arrive at the Airbnb (Bihoro Town) — settle into a spacious whole house for the next day
Day 3: Play, eat, savor Okhotsk, and head back to Sapporo!
- 9:00 — Okhotsk Ryūhyō Museum — a −15°C drift-ice experience and meeting the clione
- 10:00 — Tento-Land — play full-out on the indoor and outdoor equipment
- 12:00 — Gelateria Rimo — a cool break with world-champion gelato
- 13:00 — WONDER (Bihoro) — lunch at a locally beloved burger shop
- 14:30 — Engaru Cha Cha World — one last play with wooden toys on the way home
After that, back to Sapporo by expressway 🚗
[Wrap-Up] From Sapporo to Asahikawa & Abashiri — A Thoroughly Satisfying 2-Night, 3-Day Family Road Trip
So, how was our 2-night, 3-day trip from Sapporo to Asahikawa and Abashiri? Thanks to the expressway (the Asahikawa–Monbetsu Expressway) being built with toll-free sections, it’s far more accessible than you’d think. Golden Week mornings and evenings are still chilly, but there are so many play areas — both indoor and outdoor — that the weather can’t ruin your plans. That’s one of the great things about Hokkaido ♪
The things I’d especially recommend on this route are…
- An incredible range of free spots: Kurumina Wood Play Hall, Pippu Town Central Fureai Plaza, Tento-Land
- A kids’-play-space izakaya, “Jiyū-Honpō Sumiyaki-bu,” where grown-ups can refresh too
- World-class food: Rimo’s gelato, WONDER’s Bihoro pork burger
- Distinctly Hokkaido learning: experiencing the real history of Hokkaido’s pioneering era at Abashiri Prison
- Relaxing and spreading out in a whole-house Airbnb (a ryokan or hotel isn’t the only option!)
Family travel comes with a lot of little worries, but Hokkaido truly has so many kid-friendly spots that this turned into a trip the whole family could enjoy. I’d be happy if it helps with your Golden Week plans — and your summer-vacation plans too!
I’ll keep bringing you Hokkaido family travel info, so stay tuned ♪
Information is current as of the time of writing. Hours, prices, and other details are subject to change, so please check each facility’s official information before you go.
