Wish to drive to Niikappu/Shizunai but cant find english help online :(

[dreampotion]

Its my first time in hokkaido .
I wish to drive from Sapporo to Shizunai to see Sakura but I cant find any tourist information or help online.
1) Is there even a tourist help in english for Shizunai area?
2) I wish to avoid toll, and drive a longer route to enjoy a scenic view. Is it safe? How long will it take to drive from Sapporo to Shizunai if I do not use the toll?
3) Can anyone help me find the email of this hostel ﾆ稚ﾆ叩ﾆ停?慊・ﾆ築ﾂーﾆ湛ﾂ新ﾅ?ﾂ･ﾆ停??ﾂーﾆ湛ﾆ築ﾆ湛ﾆ弾ﾆ停?ｹ ? its a horse ranch with accommodation i think
cos its all in japanese ☝
4) Last by not least, are there nice nature sights/stops to recommend in between the roads from sapporo to shizunai?
Thanks!
p.s
hope to make some new friends here
msn/ facebook dreampotion @ hotmail . com!

 

[Glenski]

1) Is there even a tourist help in english for Shizunai area?
Try the plethora of links on this site.

http://jalthokkaido.net/blog/2007/09/12/living-in-hokkaido-what-to-know-before-you-go/

2) I wish to avoid toll, and drive a longer route to enjoy a scenic view. Is it safe? How long will it take to drive from Sapporo to Shizunai if I do not use the toll?
Depending on traffic and weather, about 2 hours.

3) Can anyone help me find the email of this hostel ファン・ホース新冠ユースホステル ? its a horse ranch with accommodation i think
cos its all in japanese
Hokkaido Youth Hostel Index

4) Last by not least, are there nice nature sights/stops to recommend in between the roads from sapporo to shizunai?
Stop anywhere you like. Yubari is nice in fall, but not much else to see other than fall colors. There is a weird Loch Ness-type statue on the side of the road (called Hoppy) not far from Hidaka. Half an hour outside Sapporo is the Maoi-no-oka rest stop on HWY. 274, which has a farmers' market.