When one thinks of Hokkaido, it's easy to imagine taking in the beautiful sights of a winter wonderland and perhaps even the stunning anime snow sculptures at the annual snow festival. While exploring the wonders of Japan's northern most island during the winter chill is a bucket list item for many travelers, a new promotional video for Kushiro, Hokkaido's fourth largest city, beautifully reminds us of the other cultural and scenic splendor Hokkaido has to offer.

The new 8K HDR video almost acts as a virtual tour of Kushiro, which may help shed the snow-blanketed image of Hokkaido you have with the gorgeous Lake Akan area, Shitsugen National Park, and a rare chance to experience a harmony of nature and urban living with Japan's largest Ainu village. Subtitles in several languages are available to help mark sightseeing points of interest--including one of the world's "three best sunsets".

Of course, no trip to Hokkaido would be complete without sampling its seemingly endless supply of some of the most delicious food in Japan. The seas off of Kushiro provide Japan's largest annual catch, and while the famous Tsukiji fishmarket in Tokyo has closed down to be moved, Kushiro's Washo Market is one of the three largest in Japan, and is just one example of the rich culinary culture thriving in Hokkaido outside of winter dishes.

While the famous snow festival and celebrated sights and sounds of Sapporo are not to be missed, consider stopping by Kushiro to take in a more intimate, but equally breathtaking experience of Japanese traditional food and culture in Hokkaido.