Hokkaido Travel Blog - Day 2 (Haneda Airport, Chitose Airport and Car Rental) PART I

Links To Previous Post On Hokkaido Trip

Hokkaido Travel Blog (Overview)
Hokkaido Travel Blog Day 1

Getting to Haneda Airport

Woke up early on that morning to ensure we don't miss the morning flight to Hokkaido and of course, I was also looking forward to the buffet breakfast at Sunroute Hotel. We are suppose to catch a flight from Haneda Airport (Tokyo) to Chitose Airport in Hokkaido at 11am. Taking into consideration that we should arrive at the airport circa 2 hours earlier means we should already be there by 9am. 

After the wholesome breakfast, we make our way to the bus stop located at the west exit of Shinjuku Station which is just 10 minutes walk away from our hotel. We already bought the bus tickets a day before which cost us 1,230yen/person. For further info on airport bus please click here.

Airport Bus @ West Exit Shinjuku Station
Source: Google Maps

There are basically two common ways to commute to Haneda Airport ie by monorail or by airport bus. I find the latter the more convenient way to travel since the bus stop is nearby my hotel and I am not required to switch train along the way. If I take the monorail, I will need to take the subway from Shinjuku Station and transit somewhere to get to the monorail, which may be quite troublesome. Travelling time by bus will just take about an hour. 

Haneda Airport

Haneda airport used to be the main international airport of Tokyo before it  was moved to Narita. Nevertheless, Haneda was subsequently refurbished to accommodate the increasing passenger traffic in Tokyo. We took All Nippon Airways (ANA) to Hokkaido which would depart from Haneda's Domestic Terminal. 

Though not as big as compared to the airport's international terminal, the place is still pretty cozy and not overly packed with people. The lay out is well planned with a small shopping area at one end of the terminal. At the upper floor, you will find some cafes and restaurants. Since we were not hungry after the heavy breakfast, we loitered around the shopping area before heading to the security check point leading to the departure hall. Security check was a breeze likely due to the fact that this is a domestic terminal and hence security check may be less intense. 

Haneda Airport

ANA Flight

Our flight NH061 to Hokkaido cost us 10,000yen or RM326/pax which comes with free 20kg luggage allowance. In order to keep our cost down, we did not pay for seat selection and consequently wifey and I had to seat separately. This was fine since the flight took only 90 minutes. Just enough time for me to enjoy a cup of coffee while my wifey doze off as usual.

ANA NH061 To Chitose

Chitose Airport

We touched down at Chitose Airport on time at around 12.35pm. Sorry for the lack of pictures as I recall at that time my mind was overly focused on how to collect my rented car. Immediately after arrival, we head directly towards the Toyota Rent A Car counter to wait for our transport to a satellite building nearby the airport to collect our car.

Toyota Rent A Car Satellite Building 

Toyota Rent A Car Sapporo (Click here to official website)

We rented a 1,500cc Toyota Prius C (Hybrid) model for 3 full days for 38,232 yen or RM1,179 which works out to about RM393/night. We will be using this car to travel to Noboribetsu, Lake Toya, Otaru and Sapporo. Since this is a hybrid car, no refueling was required until we finally reached Sapporo where we are required to return the car with a full tank. The car is equipped with a GPS with Japanese interface although the verbal directions can be in English. Searching out locations are pretty easy by using the telephone number of the place you are heading. Just make sure you get it right or you will end up in somewhere really wrong. As the interface is in Japanese,  it may be helpful if you can read basic Japanese / Chinese. As a form of assurance, I always double check where I am heading using google maps on my mobile to ensure I am going to the right direction. Yeah, google maps works here too. To sum it up, use local gps for navigation or directions and use google maps for bearing.

The car was pleasant to drive though I took some time to get familiar with it due to the fact that it is a hybrid car and the handling is really different from the old car I drive back home. Firstly, there is very minimal vibration and sound hence it is confusing to me to even know whether the engine is switched on or not. Secondly, I also have to get familiar with the new technology ie keyless entry, automatic wiper and headlamps which you normally don't find in old cars. Luckily for me, I had earlier downloaded a copy of the car instruction manual and had briefly read through it before the trip. This was also my first time driving outside of my country.

GPS With Japanese Interface Included

Driving in Hokkaido

Our Driving Route In Hokkaido covering about 270km (Chitose, Noboribetsu, Lake Toya, Otaru and Sapporo)

Driving in Hokkaido is actually quite fun with its scenic views and is not that hard to drive at all due to the relatively low traffic and straight road. The only thing is to familiarize with is the local traffic rules which may turn out to be quite confusing. To me, the first one to be aware of are the traffic lights. Even if it is green, look out for oncoming vehicles in front (as well as people crossing the road). For reasons I don't understand yet and luckily I am back safe and sound, you may not necessary have the right of way even if it is green on your side. I almost learned this the hard way. Do take note on this. Second is the speed limit. It is quite common that speed limit on trunk road is around 40-60km/hour only. Initially, I tried to comply with it but soon I realised that everybody actually drives 10-20km/hour faster. This is weird especially in Japan where the society is known to comply with rules and regulations strictly. 

Watch the video on our Hokkaido trip.