Hokkaido is bigger than you might imagine!
Hokkaido is an island roughly the same size as Austria.
Furthermore,It is also a mountainous region with many narrow, winding roads and mountain passes.
For example, it takes about 6 hours to travel from Hakodate to Furano on the expressway (toll road), and about 8 hours on regular roads with sightseeing included.
To Furano-Biei Area
From / Time(use Expy)
Shinchitose / 2.5h(2.0h)
Sapporo / 2.5h(2.0h)
Asahikawa / 1.0h(-)
Hakodate / 8.0h(6.0h)
Shiretoko / 6.0h(5.3h)
Kushiro / 4.0h(3.5h)
Tokyo(HND) / 3.0h(By plane)
※Not including breaks.