See also: Minority cultures of Japan

Hokkaido was for millennia the home of the Emishi people, whose descendants are today's Ainu. While loosely ruled by Japanese feudal lords since the 1500s, direct Japanese control was limited to the Oshima Peninsula around Hakodate. Mass migration from mainland Japan began only after the Meiji Restoration in 1869, with the Hokkaidō Development Commission (開拓使 Kaitakushi) created to settle the island and exploit its resources. Lacking the thousand-year-old temples and visible traces of history so plentiful in the rest of Japan, to this day the island retains a bit of a frontier feel, with planned cities with neat grid layouts and plenty of log cabins. As part of the settler colonial policy implemented by the Meiji government, the Ainu were dispossessed of their land and forced to assimilate into Japanese culture.

Hokkaido was particularly hard hit by the end of the Bubble in the late 1980s, with the collapse of local lender Takushoku Bank taking down many local businesses. Add in marginal agricultural land and increasingly unprofitable mining and industry, and the result is long-term population decline, especially in rural areas. Projections indicate the prefecture may lose half its population by 2050. The one bright spot in the economy is winter sports, with Sapporo hosting the 1972 Winter Olympics and ski hotspot Niseko in particular booming.

Hokkaido used to be known as Ezo (蝦夷), in earlier times pronounced Yezo, whence modern Latin yezoensis in the scientific names of local species. The current name Hokkaido was only given following the Meiji Restoration in 1869.

Hokkaido is colder than the rest of Japan, and the merciful lack of Japan's muggy summers and monsoon season makes it a very popular domestic destination between May and August. In the winter season, Hokkaido's central mountains boast some of the best powder in the world and its numerous ski resorts attract millions of domestic and international skiers and snowboarders in winter. Spring and autumn, on the other hand, tend to be cold and wet, and are very much the off season for tourists.

Some of Hokkaido's inland areas have a continental climate, with large daily and yearly temperature variation. Asahikawa in particular is notorious as one of the extreme cities in Japan: it holds the all-Japan record for lowest measured temperature at −41.0°C (-41.8°F,) and average lows on a typical February day are around -12°C (10°F,) but it has also clocked up 37.9°C ̈(100°F) in August!

Hokkaido LOVE! is the prefecture's official multilingual guide site.

• 43.516667144.2666671 Akan National Park — known for its mysterious lakes, including Lake Akan
• 42.0121140.6712 Onuma Quasi-National Park — peaceful lake near Hakodate in southern Hokkaido
• 44.161944145.2355563 Shiretoko National Park — this eastern peninsula park, where bears roam in the wilderness and bathe in hot waterfalls, was designated as a World Heritage Site in 2005
• 43.660278142.8580564 Daisetsuzan National Park — Japan's largest national park, in the middle of Hokkaido, and the Holy Grail of extreme hikers and people who love eating seafood
• 43.108144.4015 Kushiro-Shitsugen National Park — a national park in the east of the island, known for its wetlands ecosystems
• 42.6666671416 Shikotsu-Toya National Park — volcanic hot springs, two beautiful caldera lakes with rumbling volcanoes, and mossy canyons make scenic Lake Toya one of Japan's most popular tourist destinations
• 45.1939141.2587 Rishiri-Rebun-Sarobetsu National Park — covering the small islands off Wakkanai at the northern tip

Sapporo's Chitose Airport (CTS ^IATA) is Hokkaido's sole international gateway of significance, with flights from Hong Kong, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Shanghai, Beijing, Honolulu, Seoul and Busan. However, there are only limited international flights and most visitors will need to transit through hubs such as Tokyo and Osaka. The route between Tokyo and Sapporo is, in terms of capacity and planes flown daily, the busiest in the world. If transiting via Tokyo, beware that most Sapporo flights use Haneda (HND ^IATA), and you'll need at least 3 hours to travel there from Narita (NRT ^IATA).

In addition, there are a few international flights (mostly from Seoul and Taipei) to Asahikawa and Hakodate.

Hokkaido was finally linked to the national shinkansen high speed network in March 2016 with the opening of the segment between Aomori and Hakodate via the undersea Seikan Tunnel. A one-seat trip from Tokyo to Hakodate now takes just four hours using the Hayabusa service. By 2030, the line from Hakodate to Sapporo is expected to be finished.

The terminal station in Hokkaido for the shinkansen is Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station (新函館北斗). From here, travelers can take a 15- to 20-minute shuttle train ride down to the center of Hakodate city, or take a limited express train up to Sapporo.

There are car rental facilities just outside the station.

Ferries are most popular among people bringing their own cars to Hokkaido.

• Ferries from Hakodate link to northern ports in Tohoku, including Aomori and the Shimokita Peninsula.
• Otaru provides links to Maizuru (near Kyoto) and Seoul.
• Tomakomai connects with Akita, Niigata, Tsuruga, and sometimes Maizuru.
• (Wakkanai used to have ferries to Russia, which were suspended in 2019).

Due to its vast size and numerous outlying islands, Hokkaido has a fairly well-developed commuter airline network. The main regional carriers are JAL subsidiary Hokkaido Air Commuter and ANA. Many turboprop flights operate out of the tiny Okadama Airport in central Sapporo.

The train network in Hokkaido is (by Japanese standards) limited, although it's more than adequate for travel between major cities. However, access to many of the more interesting sites, such as Hokkaido's many national parks, will require either relying on infrequent and expensive buses, renting your own car, or trying your luck at hitchhiking.

Some convenient express trains include the Hokuto and Super Hokuto between Sapporo and Hakodate (3½ hours, ¥8,830 each way); the Super Kamui between Sapporo and Asahikawa (1½ hours, ¥4,810 each way); the Tokachi between Sapporo and Obihiro (3 hours, ¥7,220 each way); the Super Ōzora between Sapporo and Kushiro (4 hours, ¥9,370 each way); and the Super Soya and Sarobetsu between Sapporo and Wakkanai (5½ hours, ¥10,450 each way).

JR offers a special Hokkaido Pass, separate from the Japan Rail Pass, which allows the bearer to ride all JR trains in Hokkaido, as well as most JR buses for seven days.

A cheaper if slower and less comfortable option than the train is using buses, which also cover all the areas not accessible by train. Sleeper services radiate from Sapporo to most corners of the island. Note that local bus schedules can be very sparse, so check them carefully to avoid being stranded.

Hokkaido is among the few places in Japan where renting a car is worthwhile, since access to many national parks and onsen resorts without one can be quite difficult. Major cities are covered by a good network of expressways. However, speed limits are low, with many expressways capped at 70-80 km/h and even the straight, wide and flat highways of Tokachi limited to a poky 50 km/h. Speeding is thus quite common, but so are speed traps and heavy fines.

In winter, the same snow that makes the island a ski haven can also mean dangerous driving conditions, and speed limits drop even lower. Winter tires are mandatory from November onwards (rental cars should be fitted with these already, but it doesn't hurt to ask). Beware of black ice, leave yourself plenty of distance to brake and budget extra time to cover long distances.

Hokkaido is a cycling paradise from April to September. There are many bike paths and most main roads have very wide sidewalks. Also there are many beautiful back roads to get you where you want to go. Information in English is very limited, the best way is to buy a good map and plan by yourself.

Hitchhiking is a viable option in Hokkaido, and due to the limitations of the public transport network it's not unheard-of to see Japanese with their thumb out (a very rare sight in the rest of the country). The major caveats are that even private car traffic can be minimal on some roads, and for half the year the weather is colder than the rest of the country.

See also: Hitchhiking in Japan

Hokkaido did not become a part of Japan until late in the nation's history, so in spite of its size, it never had the number of castles that other prefectures had. Matsumae Castle in Matsumae is Hokkaido's only Japanese-style castle with a donjon. Other castle sites are more akin to forts, such as Hakodate's Goryokaku. The Ainu people had their own forts, as well, known as Chashi. None of the structures of any chashi remain, but Nemuro has the highest concentration of chashi ruins.

Hokkaido is known for its gardens and even has a group of 8 gardens known as the Garden Kaido (ガーデン街道, Garden Path) stretching 250km. The gardens from north to south are Forest Garden (Mt. Daisetsu area), Ueno Farm (Asahikawa), Windy Garden (Furano), Tokachi Millenium Forest (Shimizu), Manabe Garden (Obihiro), Tokachi Hills (Makubetsu), Shichiku Garden (Obihiro), and Rokka no Mori (Nakasatunai). There are combination tickets to visit some of the gardens: ¥2300 for the first 3 gardens and ¥3300 for the last 5 gardens (¥2000 if you choose 3 out of 5).

For many visitors Hokkaido's numerous National Parks are number one on the agenda, offering near-unlimited hiking opportunities.

Hokkaido has countless hiking opportunities, ranging from challenging multi-day treks across Daisetsuzan National Park to casual strolls in Shiretoko National Park.

Hokkaido has some of the best powder in the world and skiing has really taken off, with resorts like Niseko and Furano drawing visitors from far and wide.

Hokkaido is volcanically active and has countless hot springs, with Noboribetsu particularly famous.