Driving in Hokkaido
When planning your trip to Hokkaido, a main question is whether use public transport, or rent a car and drive around. Here are a few points to consider.
If your trip is primarily to the Sapporo area, then public transport is probably easiest. It's plentiful, cheap, and easy to figure out, and you don't have to worry about parking.
If you're headed into the interior, then renting a car is much easier. Public transport is available to almost every nook and cranny of Hokkaido, but the further into the countryside you go, the less frequent your options will be, sometimes only 2-3 times a day. With a car, you can set your own destinations and schedule. Interior Traveler Tip: fill your gas tank after you get to half. Don't wait to a quarter tank to start looking for gas. Trust me.
But what about driving on the "wrong" side of the road? Japan, like the UK, Australia and NZ drive on the left side of the road. North Americans and EU members are often concerned about this. It is definitely a little strange in the beginning, but it's easy to get the hang of. #1--follow the car in front of you. #2--If you're the driver, put yourself close to the middle of the road, not next to the ditch! That will be correct. And #3, when pulling out of a driveway or turning at intersections, don't go into automatic mode. Pause just a moment and think through where you will be turning into. If you do those three things, you'll be fine.
When renting a car in Japan, it is ESSENTIAL that you have a current International Driver's Permit (IDP). These are easy to obtain in your home country before your departure, usually from your country's version of the Automobile Club. Without the IDP, the rental agency will NOT rent the car to you, despite your reservation. Really. They are very strict about this.
See you in Furano.