If you’re planning your travel to Hokkaido, Japan then you’ll want to check out the best discounts for your adventure.
Hokkaido, Japan offers surprising natural beauty in every season, but recent changes in the exchange rate for the Japanese yen might make now an excellent time to visit for language students, digital nomads, or other flexible travelers.
So how can you get in on saving on travel to Hokkaido? Read on for the best savings tips.
Get More Travel Adventures for Less Money When You Travel to Hokkaido
Sometimes a change in relative economies can help make a trip more of a possibility, or enable you to explore more for the same travel budget.
There are many reasons that might inspire you to travel to Hokkaido. Its breathtaking scenery, the possibilities for adventure, and a chance to immerse yourself in Japanese culture are just a few of them.
A Little Bit About Hokkaido’s National Parks
Hokkaido is the largest and northernmost of Japan’s four main islands. It is known for its cold winters and its many national parks and natural treasures.
One of Hokkaido’s most popular of these parks is Daisetsuzan National Park. Its highest peak, Mount Yotei (also known as Ezo Fuji), is a symbol of Hokkaido. The park is situated in the south of Hokkaido, and is a major tourist destination.
Daisetsuzan National Park is known for its abundance of natural beauty, including volcanoes, lakes, and mountains.
There are several other popular national parks, including Kinpusenji National Park (known as the “Alps of Hokkaido”), as well as ski resorts for the winter months.
How to Get a 10% Discount On Travel to Hokkaido
If you plan to travel to Hokkaido with money from western countries, with the current exchange rates, you can get about 9-11% more for your budget now than you could this time last year. The very favorable exchange rate has been in the news recently for the Japanese business community (locally, the news first surfaced from people buying real estate in Sapporo).
Some savvy travelers are following the same trends taking advantage of the exchange rate to get discounts on hotels, when renting short-term apartments, and getting a season pass to the local ski areas.
They even use it to pay for tuition to study in Japan.
The change in the value of the yen vs the US dollar or other Western currencies has created some of the best prices in years. Who doesn’t like “10% off?”
Low Exchange Rate is Good for Travelers
The exchange rate is very favorable right now, and you can enjoy Hokkaido this winter at a significant discount. For example, travelers using US dollars get 9% more Japanese yen now than they did a year ago ($1 USD is ¥114 now, vs ¥105 a year ago).
For travelers from the UK, the exchange rate is 11% stronger than it was last year (£1 is ¥153 now, vs ¥138 a year ago). And for Australians, the exchange rate is 9% more favorable (A$1 is ¥83 now, vs ¥76 a year ago).
This makes it a great time to travel to Hokkaido!
To provide a few examples:
Let’s say you want to book a hotel that is ¥7000 per night for a seven-night stay. A year ago, that room would be US $471 for a week’s lodgings, and now it would only be $430 for the week. This means you save $50.
Or maybe a ski bum from London wants to buy a “Gold” level KWP season ski pass for Sapporo Teine for ¥88,300. In 2020 that ski pass would be £645, and this year our friend from London would only pay £562. This means you save over £80.
Another example would be a recent grad from Australia who wants to study Japanese at a local Japanese language school in Sapporo. The tuition for the year being ¥700,000.
Last year that tuition would have been A$9,333, and this year, with the favorable exchange rate, the student would only pay A$8,140 for the same education. That is over A$1,200 in savings.
The current exchange rates are a great opportunity to get more for your money and really enjoy a long stay in Japan.
Savings for Students, Digital Nomads, and Extended Stays
2020 and 2021 have had some unusual restrictions of travel, and there are still varying waits for people of different Visa statuses. But for those that can afford a long stay, travel to Hokkaido could come at a substantial discount.
For digital nomads or for those that want to enjoy the snowy months in Japan, the quarantine period could be a brief challenge that opens the doors to a beautiful season in Hokkaido.
As the borders open, long-stay visitors interested in learning Japanese might also come to Hokkaido, where the cities are mostly open and the cost of language school could be seriously reduced by the current exchange rate.
There have been some setbacks for travelers in the last few years, but as restrictions around the world begin to relax, and the Japanese yen comes at a greater discount recently, this might be the time to commit to taking that long trip.
Final Thoughts
Interesting adventures in Japan, the chance to explore, lodgings and transportation at a big discount – it’s all waiting for you. If you plan to travel to Hokkaido, be sure to get ahead of the game and look into the exchange rates and the best time to take your adventure so you can really save.
