Winter Driving
We receive several inquiries a month about winter driving while on vacation in Hokkaido. Here is our usual advice:
1. Furano and Hokkaido have a legitimate, strong winter with lots of snow, icy roads, blizzards, etc. You should have solid winter driving experience to drive here.
2. Winter driving is significantly different than summer driving. Acceleration, braking, stopping distances, turning, driving speed, and visibility are all distinctly different.
3. The car will move around a lot while driving, either slightly sliding on the road, or being pushed by ice or snow on the road. You must be comfortable with this, and know how to correct the motion without over-correcting and causing the car to spin. Rally and off-road drivers will understand this concept.
4. All rental cars in Hokkaido come equipped with winter tires. 4WD or AWD cars are readily available, but be aware that this feature does nothing to help you stop. They only help with acceleration and traction.
Overall, it's a lot to deal with and learn in a very short time frame. Even a small fender-bender into a snow bank will result in several hours at the rental agency sorting out the insurance. Is that how you want to spend your vacation?
Even if you are an excellent (summer) driver, it will probably be easier and less nerve-wracking to simply use trains, busses, and taxis to get around.
See you in Furano.