A complete guide to the Sapporo Winter Snow Festival in Hokkaido, Japan

This is a late guide, the cherry blossoms are about to bloom, and kokomi is still updating the Ice and Snow Festival. But before next winter comes, if you read this article, I believe you will thank me.kokomi has been to Hokkaido four times in total, three times in winter and once in autumn. In fact, it is quite difficult to enjoy all the ice and snow activities in Hokkaido in one Trip. However, if you read this guide before setting off, you might be able to attend a few more ice and snow festivals.


Nanbetsukokokoコタン

Ice and Snow Festival

Sapporo Snow Festival

Address: Odori, Susukino, Tsudome
Time: February 4-11, 2024
Official website: http://www.snowfes.com/

The Sapporo Snow Festival is the largest in Hokkaido. The exquisite and gorgeous snow and ice sculptures are dazzling. The number of visitors to the 69th festival reached more than 2.54 million. It is a winter feast that both foreign Tourists and Japanese people look forward to.






The themes of the snow sculptures are very wide, including world-famous buildings, great men, sports, picture books, fairy tales, anime themes, etc. The problem with the Snow Festival is that it is difficult to find a hotel room during the festival, and even if you can book one, it will be three times the normal price! The festival is the coldest time of the year in Hokkaido, and sometimes the weather is not good, so it is very hard to walk around and it is easy to fall, so you have to be very careful when playing.

Otaru Snow Light Road

Location: Otaru Canal, JR Temiya Line, Asarigawa Onsen
Time: February 8 to 17, 2024 (17:00~21:00)
Official website: http://www.yukiakarinomichi.org/

Otaru Snow Light Road is the most beautiful ice and snow festival. Although the venue is not as large as Sapporo, it matches Otaru's romantic atmosphere and attracts more than 500,000 tourists every year. The organizers carefully prepare ice decorations every year to express the winter style of Hokkaido. These cute ice lanterns and ice cups can be purchased at the tent at the venue.






Since the event is held in February, the coldest period of the year in Hokkaido. Moreover, the lighting is done at night, and the temperature is as low as -5℃ to -10℃. If you stay outdoors for a long time to take pictures, your hands will freeze, so be careful not to hold your phone steady. Every year, candles float on the canal in a dreamlike performance. The retro street lamps and juxtaposed warehouses will make you feel like you are in another world.

In addition to the canal, there is also a small snow lantern venue on the Asari River hot spring riverbed more than 10 kilometers away. Workers shoveled paths in the snow and lit candles. Each light can last up to 2 hours.

Shikaribetsu Lake Ice Village

Address: Shikaribetsu Lake Hot Spring
Time: January 26-March 21, 2024
Official website: https://kotan.jp/

Every year, a small village is built using the snow and ice on Lake Shikaribetsu, which straddles the towns of Shikaoi and Kamishihoro. The ice and snow houses located everywhere are like a village. KOTAN (コタン) means "village" of the Ainu people.









Small LIVEs are held at the Ice and Snow Concert Hall on weekends. Watch the concert with Big Bear and Little Bear. The most amazing thing is the "Ice Bar", where drinks or cocktails are 500 yen. Adding an ice cup is also 500 yen. Do you have the courage to have a glass? It's crystal clear and refreshing!

There are still many ice cubes waiting to be used outdoors. They may become more and more "Mongolian ice packs". If you want to challenge yourself, you must not miss the world's only open-air hot spring on the lake.

Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival

Date: January 25 to February 17, 2024
Location: Lake Shikotsu Hot Spring
Official website: http://hyoutou-special.asia/

The Shikotsu Lake Ice Festival is a festival where locals draw water from Lake Shikotsu and spray it with high-pressure water jets to create each piece of art. They then spray paint and freeze it to create modern art, which is then embellished with lighting.









The red trout living in Lake Shikotsu were frozen in ice and turned into the Shikotsu Lake Aquarium. The ice slide is a great place for children to have fun. If children aged 1 to 3 want to experience it, adults can also accompany them.

In addition to the ice slide, you can also slide and play on the ice rink made by freezing the lake water. There is a small and cute Hyoto Shrine in the venue. There is also a "Saimai Box" in the shrine. The general "Saimai" method is to throw copper coins into the Saimai Box, but the Hyoto Shrine is to stick copper coins on the surrounding ice walls, which is very interesting.

Hakodate Winter Fireworks Festival

Time: February 8-10, 2024 (20:00-20:30)
Location: Hakodate Bay Red Brick Warehouse
Official website: https://fuyuhanabi.com/index.html

Every time I organize a trip related to the fireworks festival, I always worry about not being able to book a hotel. Only in Hakodate, after I booked the trip and the B&B, I found out that it happened to coincide with the winter fireworks festival which only lasts three days every year. The fireworks are blooming in the sea, so there are more places to watch and it won't be too crowded.



Tokachigawa Shiratori Festival Sairinka

Date: January 26 - February 24, 2024 (19:00-21:00)

Venue: Tokachigaoka Park
Official website: www.tokachigawa.net/event/sairinka.html

The Cairinka Shiratori Festival is a winter festival held on the Tokachi River from late January to late March every year when the winter swans arrive. From 7 to 9 pm every night, countless cone-shaped lanterns neatly arranged on the snow change their lights in rhythm with the rhythm of their breathing.







The background music has two versions, popular and soothing, and lasts for two hours. If you are tired of shopping, you can have a hot drink in the lounge or go to the foot bath. There is also a huge Tokachigawa Onsen 3 minutes drive away from the venue. The open-air bath inside is great and there are many restaurants.

Tomamu ice village

Location: Hoshino Tomamu Hotel
Time: December 10, 2023 - March 14, 2024 (17:00-22:00)
Price: Free for hotel guests, 500 yen for others
Official website: www.snowtomamu.jp/winter/cn/icevillage/

The ice village, which is open only on winter nights every year, has become a winter attraction of Hoshino Tomamu. The "Ice Church" and "Ice Inn" are all made of ice, including the ceiling and walls. They are located in the deepest part of the ice city and are the symbol of the mysterious ice and snow world.





In the ice village, there are dome buildings surrounded by ice walls like a continuous street, and various experience activities that make use of the cold temperature are provided. I came during the day, and it was not open and entry was not allowed. I sneaked in and found that all the igloos were covered (bitter smile).

Lake Toya Illumination

Address: Lake Toya Onsen Plaza
Time: November 1, 2023 to March 3, 2024 (18:00-22:00)
Official website: http://cn.laketoya.com/illumination/

In the lively square in the center of Toyako Onsen, 400,000 electric lights were used to build a 70m long tunnel and a 9m diameter dome. The lighting using LED lights creates a fantastic atmosphere, which is the view of Toyako Onsen Street that can only be enjoyed in winter.




Sounkyo Icefall Festival

Date: January 25, 2024 to March 17, 2024
Address: Sounkyo Onsen Riverbed
Official website: http://www.sounkyo.net/hyoubaku/

The Sounkyo Onsen Icefall Festival is a festival in which water is poured onto a frame in an extremely cold environment and frozen for a long time to create icicles, ice and snow tunnels, and igloos. At night, it feels very mysterious after being illuminated. Fireworks are also set off on Saturdays and Sundays, making the winter night sky colorful.




Ice and Snow Animals

Penguin Walk

Address: Asahikawa Zoo
Time: December 15th to mid-March
Official website: http://www.city.asahikawa.hokkaido.jp/asahiyamazoo

When it comes to Asahikawa Zoo in winter, the biggest attraction is the penguin walk. There are two sessions a day, at 11:00 in the morning and 14:30 in the afternoon. The Asahikawa Zoo in winter opens at 10:30, so please plan your entry time accordingly.




Red-crowned crane

Address: Tsurui Village (Ito Shelter, Tsurumidai, Otowa Bridge)
Time: November to March every year
Official website: http://cn.go-kushiro.jp/destination/tsurui.php

Many of the names of cities, towns and villages in the Kushiro area are derived from the Ainu language, and Tsurui Village is named after the special natural monument "red-crowned crane". As the name suggests, the village where the red-crowned cranes live attracts many tourists every year to see their beautiful figures.





The red-crowned crane was once thought to be extinct, but thanks to the efforts of many villagers, half of the more than 1,000 red-crowned cranes are now in Tsurui Village. In the cold winter, the red-crowned cranes have to live in the Kushiro Wetlands, and it is important to maintain contact with the village. In the severe winter, more than 200 red-crowned cranes come to the two major feeding grounds, "Ito Sanctuary" and "Tsurumidai", every day. So many photographers squat outside the railings just to take pictures of the cranes spreading their wings and flying. I took the picture with my mobile phone. Because the distance is very far, there is still a big difference between the buyer's show and the seller's show.

Hot Spring Swan

Address: Lake Kussharo (Sand Bath, Kotan Onsen)
Time: November to March every year
Official website: www.masyuko.or.jp/pc/kussharo.html

Lake Kussharo is a natural lake located in Teshikaga Town in eastern Hokkaido, Japan. The entire area is included in Akan National Park. It is the largest caldera lake in Japan and the second largest in the world. It was once famous for the water monster Kushi.






In winter, white birds fly in groups at Lake Kussharo, creating a beautiful and unique landscape. There is food for the swans for sale nearby. When they land, you can catch them and add them to your meal at night. No, you feed them to help them survive the winter. Because it is located in a volcanic area, there are volcanoes and many hot springs around the lakeshore, especially this "sand bath", where you can dig your own hot spring on the lakeshore.

Outdoor entertainment activities

SL Winter Wetlands
Location: Kushiro Main Line (Kushiro--Shibuta)
Time: January 26, 27, February 1-12, 15-17, 21-24, 2024
Official website: www.dotoinfo.com/news/SL.htm

The SL Winter Wetlands, which speeds through the silver-white Kushiro Wetlands, is a scenic spot for winter tourism in Kushiro. SL is the abbreviation of steam locomotive. The Winter Wetlands is operated by steam locomotives, and the route it runs on allows you to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the snow-white wetlands, making it one of the most popular Journeys for tourists.







When we arrived at Toro Station, where the Shitsugen Express passes, we happened to meet a group of kindergarten children and teachers who were welcoming passengers. They told me that the Shitsugen Express would soon arrive at the station! So, we unexpectedly met the Shitsugen Express train god. If you zoom out a little, not only is the whistle very imposing, but the billowing black smoke is also spectacular. No wonder it can't run frequently.

Drift ice in Abashiri

Address: Abashiri Drift Ice Pier
Time: January 20 to April 3, 2024
Price: 3,300 yen (50 minutes)
Official website: www.ms-aurora.com/abashiri/cs/

The Sea of ​​Okhotsk in northeastern Japan is the southernmost place in the world where you can see drift ice. In the past, the drift ice season was from January to March, but due to climate change, in recent years, you have to wait until February to see large amounts of drift ice.






As the name suggests, "drift ice" is flowing ice. The floating ice on the east coast of Hokkaido is due to the influence of wind, and the ice flows down from the mouth of the Heilongjiang River in Siberia. Therefore, in addition to the temperature, the "wind direction" is completely determined by the movement of drift ice near the Soya Strait.

Even if you have booked a boat ticket in advance, you cannot guarantee that you will see drift ice. The staff can only confirm the situation half an hour before boarding.

After Traveling thousands of miles to Abashiri, don't forget to bring back a local souvenir-drift ice beer.