This route attempts the impossible: to hit all of Hokkaido's major tourist attractions in a single trip. The main sticking point is in the south - that long road along the eastern coast from Lake Onuma (near Hakodate) to the Muroran area is car-infested and exhaust-fumed, but it's the quickest way to get from those areas in the south up to the Sapporo area. Apart from that, the route succeeds pretty well: it doesn't get up as far as the islands of Rebun-to and Risshiri-to, or to the lovely Furano-Biei region, but it does touch on practically everything else. Travelers looking to save time might want to take advantage of the frequent train service between Sapporo and Asahikawa to do this fairly urbanized (by Hokkaido standards) stretch by train. There are smaller roads you can take if you'd rather cycle, but if you're pressed for time, this will save a full day of cycling, since you can take the train from Sapporo to Asahikawa in the morning and cycle from there to Sounkyo in the afternoon. At Sounkyo, you can take a cable car up to the upper reaches of the Daisetsuzan mountains (with permanent snow even in August), and from there to the lakes of Masshu-ko and Akan-ko and eventually to Shiretoko, one of Japan's most famous wilderness areas. Needless to say, you should try to do Hokkaido in good weather. It also goes without saying that Hokkaido can get very cold in any season but summer: come during the warm months or come prepared for cold. Only the most avid mountain bikers who are fully prepared for snow should consider cycling in winter.