Discover Hokkaido - Winter Festivals

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The Sapporo Snow Festival is held during one week every February in Hokkaido's capital Sapporo. It is one of Japan's most popular winter events. The Sapporo Snow Festival was started in 1950, when high school students built a few snow statues in Odori Park. It has since developed into a large, commercialized event, featuring spectacular snow and ice sculptures and attracting more than two million visitors from Japan and across the world. The Snow Festival is staged on three sites: the Odori Site, Susukino Site and Tsu Dome Site.

The Historic Village of Hokkaido is a restored area based of what remained from the Meiji era and Taisho era. It is now an open-air museum with shops, households, and horse-drawn trams that run through the village. It displays various buildings and shops that were once constructed during Hokkaido’s growing development, including 60 different buildings from all over this northern island. It is also a place where many who lost their positions in the Edo Shogunate went to start their lives anew, especially samurai. It is located in the suburbs of Sapporo. It consists residential, mountainous, fishing, and agricultural zones.

Sapporo is considered the birthplace of beer in Japan since it started manufacturing beer in the Meiji Period. The building for the Sapporo Beer Museum was originally used as the Sapporo Sugar Company around 1890. Then, it was employed as a location for the cleaning process of barley leaves that were used to make beer in 1965. Finally, it was made into a brewery and, then, the museum that now has two neighboring beer gardens. There are tasting lounges and tours offered at the Sapporo Beer Museum for a fee, though there are few signs containing English for foreign guests.

Hokkaido Shrine, once known as Sapporo Shrine, is located in the city of Sapporo and is one of the most important Shinto shrines in the city. By order of Emperor Meiji, three Shinto kami (deities) were enshrined there– three spirits of protection to guard the island of Hokkaido. After the emperor’s passing, his soul was also enshrined there, adding a fourth protector to the shrine, and it was renamed Hokkaido Shrine. The shrine achieves especial importance and popularity during three important times of the year – spring, for its lovely cherry blossoms; summer, as the heart of the Sapporo Festival; and the New Year, when Japanese attend their yearly hatsumoude – the annual first shrine visit.

Mount Moiwa is a mountain in Sapporo that has become a popular place for a view of the city. It is especially popular in the evening for its breathtaking nighttime view of a cityscape studded with tens of thousands of twinkling lights. The observation point is often reached via the Mount Moiwa Ropeway, where visitors take a ride in an airborne gondola, but the viewpoint can also be reached by car via a Scenic Expressway. In addition to the splendid view, Mount Moiwa also has an elegant restaurant in the observation area called Jewels, where patrons can enjoy the view while dining on French cuisine. In winter, Mount Moiwa is also home to a ski resort on its eastern slope with several runs ranging from beginner to challenging.

The Nijo Fish Market has been selling its freshly caught and prepared merchandise for over a hundred years since its establishment in 1903. It is located in the center of Sapporo’s city, near Nijo Station. Among its fresh sea urchins, crabs, and other fish products, it also offers melons, corn, and other fruits and vegetables for reasonable prices. Shops or restaurants also prepare fresh seafood for their clients; donburi (rice bowl) dishes that include fish atop the rice serving is one type of prepared meal. The markets take about one city block of space up for their businesses.

Otaru has been a thriving fishing town since the Edo period, when its network of canals allowed for easy unloading of fishing boats. Years later, though the canals are now a local promenade and tourist hotspot, the fishing industry survives, finding fresh appeal by supporting the city’s top sushi restaurants now lining the Otaru Sushi District. A couple of these restaurants have earned Michelin Stars, and some require a reservation in advance. Some of these restaurants are native to Otaru, but many are more widely established, with branch restaurants all over the world. Otaru has over a hundred sushi restaurants scattered throughout the city, offering a broad variety of sushi dishes to choose from. Select sushi, including the shrimp and sea urchin, are praised as Otaru’s finest offerings.

Le Tao Cheesecake Factory is a cake and baked sweets shop based in Otaru, Hokkaido. The original LeTao Main Shop is in an iconic western-style building in downtown Otaru, but since their founding they have opened other stores and are selling their fancy desserts all over the world. The signature product of the Le Tao brand is the Double Fromage Cheesecake, although the shop sells many kinds of delectably soft, fluffy sweets, including roll cake, Danish pastries, and mont blanc, but various cheesecakes are what they are most known for. They also sell various black teas to go with their cakes. When visiting their main store, visitors can enjoy a delectable slice of cheesecake and black tea in a simple, yet charming cafe.

The Otaru Canal was employed by businesses to transport their merchandise to warehouses with smaller ships since the bigger ships could not directly unload their goods to their destinations. However, eventually there was no use for the smaller vessels when the facilities were modernized, making the use of canals less necessary. Now the area is a tourist attraction, during the day people take leisurely walks about the scenic route where there are museums, restaurants, and shops. Furthermore, Otaru Canal is the main site of the Snow Light Path Festival which is celebrated annually during February as a winter festival.

The Otaru Snow Light Path Festival is a winter festival held every February in Otaru, during which the city becomes decorated in lights and small snow statues for ten days. The festival usually runs at the same time as the nearby Sapporo Snow Festival, making it possible for travelers in Hokkaido to visit both festivals on the same trip.

The Otokoyama Sake Brewery and Museum provides a variety of information and displays for its guests. Mount Taisetsu produces the water used by Otokoyama to produce sake; it is said that the water from Mount Taisetsu will bring longevity to whomever drinks from its spring waters. Sake tastings are also offered as part of the experiences that this sake brewery can offer to guests. Otokoyama’s sake is not only known throughout all of Japan, but also internationally known; it won its first gold medal in 1977 at the International Wine and Spirits Competition, and has won several awards throughout the years.

Asahikawa is famous for its ramen. Whereas Sapporo is known for its miso based broth and Hakodate for its salt based broth, Asahikawa is known for its shoyu (soya sauce) based broths. Shops serving shoyu based ramen can be found throughout the city. The broth of Asahikawa Ramen is also known for being quite oily, and there is often a thin layer of oil on top of the soup. Another characteristic of the local ramen is the generally thin, hard and wavy noodles. The range of toppings is quite typical and includes green onions, pork, bamboo shoots and eggs. On the outskirts of the city there is an interesting collection of ramen shops called the Asahikawa Ramen Village. Eight famous ramen restaurants from Asahikawa have opened small branch stores besides one another in the complex alongside a gift shop and a small ramen shrine.

In an area of 10,000㎡, there will be an exhibit of ice sculptures, light-ups, Hyobaku drums, Ainu ethnic dance, fireworks display, etc.

Among the various waterfalls found in the Sounkyo region, but the most notable ones are the Ginga and Ryusei Waterfall. Apart from sightseeing, tourists and other visitors usually climb the frozen waterfalls during winter to make their way to the peak atop the then frozen columns of ice. They both flow opposite opposite each other at different angles and appear to fall differently from one another; the Ginga Waterfall produces a more elegant fall with a gentler touch than the Ryusei Waterfall, which produces a more jet-like rush of water crashing down along the side of the cliff.

The Okhotsk Ryuhyo Museum is located at the top of Mount Tento and exhibits materials related to the drift ice that comes to Abashiri. One of the exhibits provides a drift ice experience where you can actually touch the frozen clumps that came from the Sea of Okhotsk. The room is consistently set at -15° Celsius, which is 5° Fahrenheit. There are creatures that appear when the drift ice comes and one of the most popular species is the Cliones. The Cliones are transparent sea slugs that are more known by their nickname sea angels.

Located on a similar geographical latitude as Portland (Oregon) and Venice (Italy), the Sea of Okhotsk coast of Hokkaido is the northern hemisphere's southernmost region to see drifting sea ice. The sea ice typically reaches the coast around Abashiri in mid to late January and disappears again by late March to mid April. The best time to view it is usually around the second half of February. While drift ice can be observed along the entire Sea of Okhotsk coast from Wakkanai to the Shiretoko Peninsula, it gets thickest around Abashiri. Due to global warming, the amount and thickness of the drift ice has decreased quite considerably since the late 1980s.One of the best and easiest ways to see the drift ice is from the Aurora Sightseeing Boats, which depart from Abashiri Port. Because drift ice is not always visible from the coast, the boats travel out into the Sea of Okhotsk to where ice is more likely to be found.

The Abashiri Prison Museum opened as an open air museum in 1985. The cold, harsh conditions in Abashiri Prison only made conditions worse for the prisoners as food became scarce while still doing hard labor. There are plenty of displays all over the prison of life-size dummies in uniform to exhibit a tangible understanding of previous work and prison conditions in Abashiri Prison.

The Shiretoko Nature Center is the gateway to the Shiretoko Peninsula UNESCO World Heritage Site. Shiretoko was listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 2003 to protect its vulnerable ecosystems and animal life, which include Steller's Sea Eagle, Blakiston's Fish Owl, various whales and other sea life, and land animals like the Ussuri Brown Bear. An important part of that ecosystem is the coastal drift ice, which is one of the lowest points on earth this natural phenomenon occurs. Visitors to the center can learn about Shiretoko and what makes it so special. The Nature Center is near walking trails that take you through some of the region's most beautiful landscapes. It includes exhibits on Shiretoko's ecosystems and the wildlife that lives there, a large movie screen showing original films about the area, and even some nearby walking trails that allow you to go out and experience some of the beauty of Shiretoko for yourself.

Shiretoko is one of the most beautiful regions of Hokkaido, and nothing allows you to experience this unspoiled region in all its winter glory than a trek across the landscape in snowshoes. This enchanting region is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site because of its incredible biodiversity and rare wildlife, which include the Steller's Sea Eagle, Blakiston's Fish Owl, gulls and other shore birds, the Ussuri Brown Bear, Ezo Fox, and the Ezo Deer. Some of these incredible animals may be seen during the Snowshoes Trek. The breathtaking Shiretoko Peninsula also includes Furepe Falls (which is frozen solid at this time of year), and drift ice, which can be seen floating off the coast. Shiretoko is famous for its drift ice, which is one of the southernmost points this natural phenomenon occurs.

Lake Mashu is located in the Akan National Park and is known for having the clearest water in the world. The lake’s water is ranked as one of the clearest in the world. The color of the water in the lake is referred to as Mashu blue. Lake Mashu is covered in fog for a good portion of the year earning the nickname Foggy Lake Mashu. The urban legend claims that the fog is there to conceal the kamui (god) while they swim.

Lake Kussharo is the largest caldera lake in Akan-Mashu National Park in Japan's Hokkaido Prefecture.While the lake is visited in the warmer months for various park activities, as well as access to the lake's hot spring baths, the winter months attract bird-lovers to Lake Kussharo to witness the gorgeous whooper swan, which stops to rest and feed at the half-frozen lake on their migration path. One of the best places to view these beautiful birds is at Lake Kussharo Kotan, one of the lake's numerous hot springs, where groups of the swans can be seen floating on the lake and walking along the shore or on the frozen parts of the lake.

The Ainu Kotan is a village near Lake Akan in Hokkaido where visitors can learn about the culture of the indigenous Ainu people. The Ainu were the people who lived in Hokkaido before the Japanese colonized the island during the Meiji era, dwelling together in villages and communities called "kotan" in their language. Although the culture of the island has become largely Japanese, the Lake Akan Ainu Kotan is one of the places where Ainu history, culture, architecture, religion, and arts are preserved. Visitors to the Kotan can see traditional Ainu buildings, try Ainu snacks, and buy Ainu handicrafts from the local shops as souvenirs. One of the most important aspects of Ainu culture on display is traditional Ainu dance, which is still practiced in the Kotan and can be observed by visitors. There are different Ainu Dances, which tell native stories and legends.

Wakasagi fishing is a great outdoor activity totally different from skiing or snowboarding in Hokkaido. One of the most popular spots to do it is in Lake Akan. During the harsh winter, Lake Akan is frozen over solid! In this tour, you can enjoy wakasagi fishing in a special tent site on the ice of the lake.

The Tsurui Ito Tancho Crane Sanctuary is a designated feeding ground in Tsurui for the red-crowned cranes by the Wild Bird Society of Japan. Once thought be extinct, the cranes were rediscovered leading to the establishment of the crane sanctuary with the intent of protecting these national treasures. The sanctuary really comes to life in the winter when the cranes fly from roosting grounds around the village of Tsurui to land in the sanctuary's main field to feed. They usually feed during the middle of the day, then head back to their roosting ground at night. Tsurui Ito Crane Sanctuary is an absolute must-visit in winter for bird lovers and wildlife photographers.

Visitors to Obihiro, Hokkaido searching for a night on the town need look no farther than the Tokachi no Nagaya and Kita no Yatai - two alleys crowded with cozy eateries. Kita no Yatai is an alley lined with yatai - traditional Japanese food stalls. The stalls are small and cozy, and while they are built for people looking to grab a bite and go, while you are there you can enjoy the stalls' friendly, welcoming atmosphere. The Tokachi no Nagaya is like the Kita no Yatai in that it's an alley full of places to grab a bite to eat, but instead of food stalls, you can sit in a small restaurant. Much of the food is local fare, but you can also find some international foods to try - a Japanese twist on Chinese, French, Italian, and other cuisines.

Lake Shikaribetsu is a lake located in Daisetsuzan National Park in Hokkaido, and is the highest lake in Hokkaido. While activities are enjoyed there year round including taking a drive along the lakeside road, hiking, or boating, winter brings on a whole new purpose for the lake. During the coldest two months of the year, Lake Shikaribetsu freezes over solid and the locals build a small kotan (or "village") over the river consisting of several hand-made igloos. Visitors to the Ice Village can learn how to make a drinking glass out of a block of ice, then enjoy a drink out of it. There is also an outdoor onsen (with gender-separated bathing times), where people can enjoy a hot spring bath and a view of the frozen lake. Those who stay in the area until evening are treated to a breathtaking view of the night sky bright with uncountable stars.

Hokkaido is a region in Japan known for its delicious dairy, and the region of Furano especially is famous for fresh farm products. The Furano Cheese Factory gives visitors a glimpse at the production of its camembert cheese, but there is also a factory next to it that uses the rich Hokkaido dairy to make delicious ice cream. The ice cream comes in many delicious and unique flavors, some of which are dependent on the season. Flavors regularly include Milk (Vanilla), Cheese, Grape Juice, Blueberry Honeysuckle, Corn, and Asparagus. Learn to make this tasty treat during a workshop taught by one of the factory's friendly experts, and enjoy some freshly made ice cream afterward.

Thanks to the same type of climate that allows lavender to grow, Furano grapes are also able to be cultivated. Furano’s winery selection of wines includes red, white, and rose wine types. The winery is open to the public and offers free wine tasting. The grape juice factory also has a window view of the process of its juice production, which also gives grape juice sampling to its visitors. Restaurants nearby serve Western dishes with the wine, so guests can buy a bottle and have a meal with their favorite wine at the end of the day.

The landscape of Hokkaido is stunningly breathtaking at any time of year, but winter is one of its most picturesque. Travelers exploring the wilderness of Hokkaido during this region can't help but admire its vast landscape of hills, open plains, forests, and mountains all covered in thick blankets of snow, lakes and waterfalls frozen solid, and scenes of foraging wildlife. And while there are a number of ways to enjoy these enchanting sights, a ride on a snowmobile or dogsled can be among the most thrilling. Enjoy the motorized intensity of the snowmobile or the animated vigor of the dogsled on a thrilling ride over the snowy Hokkaido countryside. Most of the rides are be flat, open country, which will offer some splendid views.