After establishing themselves in Honshu, the Lords and Ladies head north to Hokkaido. Beholding Hokkaido's mountainous landscape, they see that expansion on this land will prove to be a greater challenge than before.

Hokkaido is the second map-building card game in the Nippon series, bringing new ideas and drafting mechanisms to the first design, Honshu. A game of Hokkaido consists of 12 rounds, each divided into two separate phases. Each player must expand their personal map to maximize their scoring possibilities.