n00b girl wrote:What are your thoughts on Northern Honshu and Hokkaido? These are sort of my options I'm considering right now. I have 3 weeks and am thinking of spending the first 2 hiking then the last week with my friend near her place (Toyohashi, sort of near Nagoya). I'm not interested in the "regular tourist route", just interested in hiking. Reading mixed reviews on Hokkaido - websites say it is uncrowded and empty, but the guide book(s) keep saying that many many many Japanese go there in the summer and it becomes chaotic. Would love to find a place where I can just park myself for 2 weeks and do day trips or little overnight walks from. Any suggestions?It seems Northern Honshu may be more difficult for me as it isn't the main tourist area, but I think I'm ready for the extra effort/energy/difficulty if it pays off in great hiking and solitude. Or is that asking too much?
