Sapporo Snow Festival 2024: Best Things to Do in Sapporo Winter

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Hokkaido itinerary because I like snow

Are you like many people who plan to come to Hokkaido because you have heard of the very famous "Sapporo Snow Festival", but this is the first time you come to Hokkaido in winter?

Maybe you know a little bit about the time and location of the "Sapporo Snow Festival", but how would you choose the hotel accommodation? Should it be arranged near the station, or should it be arranged near the venue? It turns out that arranging hotel accommodation in winter requires different considerations?
In addition, how much do you know about the cold climate of Hokkaido in winter? How should I dress to keep warm in the sub-zero cold environment in Hokkaido?

If you really plan this Hokkaido itinerary for the "Sapporo Snow Festival" and hope to arrange a snow tourism experience in the upcoming winter holidays, you must not be sloppy in terms of accommodation, transportation, and itinerary arrangements, otherwise It's easy to be spoiled by a sudden little accident and the happy atmosphere of the whole holiday.

Also because we deeply understand the attraction of Hokkaido in winter, we have spent more than one winter living in Hokkaido to experience the different landscapes of Hokkaido Snow Country

To this end, in this article, and inHokkaidoOn the category side, they will share in detail the Sapporo Snow Festival, Sapporo itinerary attractions, Otaru Snow Festival, famous ski resorts, attractions in different places in Hokkaido, and accommodation plan recommendations. In addition, some experiences from local life, as well as experience sharing on shopping, transportation arrangements to different areas in Hokkaido, etc. will be included. I believe they can help travelers like you who don’t often go to cold Hokkaido.

If you are planning to go to Hokkaido in winter, don't forget to bookmark this website to "My Favorites"!

Also, in fact, when many people set off for the Sapporo Snow Festival, they will drop by to join the Tokyo itinerary. If you are going to visit Tokyo together, you can also check it outTokyo Travel InformationOn the other side of the classification, see what hotel rooms and special experiences are worth trying to add to your itinerary, so that your Hokkaido Snow Festival itinerary will be more fulfilling!

2024 Sapporo Snow Festival

In recent years, the Sapporo Snow Festival has experienced many turmoil. Not only the 2021 and 2022 snow festivals have been suspended due to the epidemic, but even 2020 needs to be scaled down due to insufficient snow. The last time a normal-scale Sapporo Snow Festival was held was already in 2019.

And in 2024, Sapporo City finally has the opportunity to once again hold the long-awaited Snow Festival. But the fly in the ointment is that not all venues can be opened like in 2019. This year's Sapporo Snow Festival can only open two of the venues for everyone to visit.

Sapporo Snow Festival Information All Travelers Can’t Miss

The real name of the Sapporo Snow Festival

First of all, if you are going to the Sapporo Snow Festival for the first time, you should remember one thing after arriving in Hokkaido, that is, the local name of the Sapporo Snow Festival is called"さっぽろ雪まつり", instead of using Chinese characters to write "Sapporo Snow Festival り".
This is very important, especially for some passengers who do not have a deep knowledge of Japanese, otherwise they will arrive at Sapporo Station but do not know how to get to the Snow Festival venue. Especially during the Sapporo Snow Festival, the crowd at Sapporo Station will be several times higher than usual, and it will not be easy to find a tourist bureau staff to help.

How to Organize Your Holidays for the Sapporo Snow Festival

In the past many years, the Sapporo Snow Festival has been used to be held on February 4th and February 5th every year, probably on the first weekend of February. If you who are reading this article are also interested in going to the Sapporo Snow Festival next year, but you need to apply for annual leave from the company in advance, it is recommendedClear as much as possible from February 1st to February 14th, so that you can participate in the Sapporo Snow Festival and the Otaru Snow Festival at the same time, the two Hokkaido Snow Festivals that allow you to take pictures non-stop, and you can also go to several ski resorts in one breath!

Best time to see the Sapporo Snow Festival

Although the Sapporo Snow Festival is generally held for one week, if you want to saybest viewing time, it must be the beginning of the snow festivalday one, day two. The reason is that there are two types of weather in Sapporo that can easily affect the viewing of giant snow statues and ice sculptures – heavy snow and sunny days.

Although heavy snow is an exciting thing for most tourists from the south (Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Hong Kong), it will easily produce snow on the giant snow statue. will be easily deformed. To knowAny ice and snow in Hokkaido in winter, like stones and sand in your home, will not disappear automatically.

For example, like the photo of Cup Noodle above, it was taken on the first day of the Sapporo Snow Festival, but after a few days of heavy snow, the font of "Cup Noodle" is no longer so clear. So if you are here to take pictures, you must try to arrange your visit before heavy snow or blizzard occurs.

Another weather influence on the Sapporo Snow Festival is the sunny winter in Hokkaido. Although sunny days are not common in Hokkaido in winter, it is usually cloudy all day and then snow for a while.
But as long as one day is sunny, it is enough for some snow statues and ice sculptures to start to melt, and the snow on the ground will slowly turn into slippery ice. Fortunately, there are full-time staff to take care of the large snow statues, but some smaller snow statues will become ugly and dirty without repairs, especially when the snow festival is coming to an end.
After all, snow statues are not made of plastic, and "partial body defects" after a day in the sun are common occurrences.

Travel time required to participate in the Sapporo Snow Festival

Although the official website recommends spending 60 minutes to 90 minutes to visit the different venues of the entire Sapporo Snow Festival, in fact it is spent on taking pictures, participating in different ice and snow activities, taking transportation, piling up snow in the middle, and because you cannot adapt to the sudden switch to In cold regions, additional rest time is required. Basically the entire Sapporo Snow FestivalTakes 6 hours – 8 hoursOnly then can we easily visit several different venues and take pictures with all the snow and ice sculptures.

When will the Sapporo Snow Festival be held in 2024?

2024 is the 74th Sapporo Snow Festival, which will be held inHeld from February 4, 2024 to February 11, 2024.

Venue and location of Sapporo Snow Festival 2024

Different from the past, like in 2019 and 2020, it is divided into three main venues, namely the Odori Park venue (Odori Site) with large snow statues, the Susukino Site (すすきのvenue Susukino Site), which mainly features ice sculptures, and the main Tsudome Site is a Tsudome site for children to play.

The Tsudome venue of the Sapporo Snow Festival will be reopened this year. Travelers who come here specifically to experience the high-speed snow slide should pay special attention. This year I finally had the opportunity to experience the large high-speed snow slide set up outdoors.

If you are interested in knowing the attractions of high-speed snow slides in advance, you can also check this article in advanceExperience video of HBC TV station, otherwise it will be introduced to you in the following section.

Features of the different venues of the Sapporo Snow Festival

Sometimes I feel that the Sapporo Snow Festival is actually a bit similar to the New Year’s Lantern Festival held in the Lunar New Year, because the content held at the same venue every year is similar. But having said that, although the activities held in the three major conference venues are similar every year, there will always be some new experiences every time. For example, the snow image will have different changes in different weather, or the snow volume changes every year, which will determine the atmosphere of the Sapporo Snow Festival that year.

The Sapporo Snow Festival is divided into 3 main venues, namely Odori Park (Odori Site), Susukino Site (すすきのSusukino Site), and Tsudome Site (Tsudome Site). Each venue has different characteristics, unique experience and opening hours.

Odori Park venue (Odori venue Odori Site)

Odori Park venue information

Odori Park is the main venue of the Sapporo Snow Festival. It is said that Odori Park was used to store discarded snow. Later, some citizens piled up the first large-scale snow statues in Odori Park, and then slowly evolved into a The large-scale snow festival attracts more than 50,000 people to participate every year.

In the past, the Odori Park venue was dominated by the characteristic elements of "super giant snow statue x medium and small snow statue x international snow sculpture competition x performance program x food stall x food stall". The venue stretches from 1-chome of Odori Park Extending to 12-chome, the total length of the venue exceeds 1.5 kilometers.

Odori Park Venue Features

In the past Sapporo Snow Festival, there were 12 small venues at the Odori Park venue, but this year (2024 Sapporo Snow Festival) has not continued to hold the "International Snow Sculpture Competition" and set up "food stalls" like previous snow festivals. , only a total of 10 venues from Nishi 1-chome to Nishi 10-chome remain. Fortunately, the giant snow statues that appeared every year will still be preserved, and you can still visit the large-scale light and shadow show that uses super giant snow statues with music and projections at night.

In addition to large snow statues, there will also be snow statues of cartoon characters of different sizes in the small and medium snow statue venue, such as dinosaurs, Pokemon, Hello Kitty, etc. If you are interested, you can vote and choose your favorite That snow statue.

The actual environment of Odori Park is actually just like the following Hokkaido TV station HBC’s interview at the 70th Sapporo Snow Festival. You will see that different venues have different themes. For example, at the 7-chome venue, there will be super-large snow statues, food stalls, and small goods vendor stalls.
Then at the citizen snow statue venue on the 12-chome side, there will be small and medium-sized snow statues with different themes for you to take pictures and vote for.

From experience, Odori Park is a venueworth visiting twice, once in the morning and once in the evening.
The reason is just like the HBC video below. During the day, you can carefully watch the design and craftsmanship of the huge snow statue, and then at night, you can enjoy the light and shadow animation performance using the super large snow statue as the background. Although it is the same snow image as during the day, it turns into a huge screen at night, telling you different stories of the residents of Hokkaido.

Suggested itinerary for the Odori Park venue

Also because the big snow statue in Odori Park will "Light Up" at night and there will be different stage performances, the experience you can get is very different. Therefore, it is recommended to visit the entire venue once in the morning, then depart for the other two venues of the Sapporo Snow Festival at noon, and experience the authentic restaurants in Sapporo, and then select a few venues with huge snow statues to focus on at night.

Also because of the winter weather in Hokkaido, it will be relatively cold for travelers living in the south. so inWhen participating in the Sapporo Snow Festival, you must pay attention to keeping warm and exerting physical strength, When necessary, go to the lounge or restaurant to eat something to replenish calories. Odori ParkThe snow festival venue will remain open until 10:00 p.m., so there is no need to worry about missing any small venues due to lack of time.

Generally speaking, 1.5 hours to 2 hours can be arranged in the Datong Park venue in the morning, so that you can carefully appreciate every snow image in the venue while walking slowly and not easy to fall. Then go to dinner at around 6:00 pm, and then arrange an hour to return to the Odori Park venue to participate in light and shadow performances and stage performances.

Odori Park venue is suitable for those who

Basically, entering the Odori Park venueno charge, any passenger is free to enter. Whether you are traveling as a couple, traveling alone or as a family, you can find suitable activities in Odori Park to participate in.

Things to do near Odori Park Venue

If your hotel accommodation is arranged near Sapporo Station, if you don’t live in other places, you need to catch up with the terrible JR last train in Hokkaido (the terrible thing is because Hokkaido is very large, and the time of the JR last train is very early, some are more The last bus leaves at 21:00 in the evening), you can boardSapporo TV Tower, Go to the "Nijo Market" and eat a few more bowls of Sapporo special ramen before returning to the hotel room.

Sapporo TV Tower (さっぽろテレビ塔 SAPPORO TV Tower)

As long as you walk to the Odori Park Nishi 1-chome venue, it happens to be where the Sapporo TV Tower is located. Although the Sapporo TV Tower does not have the height of the Tokyo Tower, it is easy to see the panorama of Sapporo from the observation deck of the Sapporo TV Tower when the general buildings in Sapporo are not very high.
Especially during the Sapporo Snow Festival, you can see the entire Odori Park venue just below your feet!

Recommended ticket offers: Get Limited Time Sapporo TV Tower Discount Tickets

Nijo market (Nijo fish market)

Tokyo has Toyosu and Tsukiji markets, Osaka has Kuromon market, Kyoto has Nishiki market, and when you come to Sapporo, you will find Nijo market that sells a lot of seafood and fresh ingredients.

At Nijo Market, just like you used to at other markets in Japan, you can eat and buy while eating, whether it is sushi, seafood, or fruit. However, there are more Hokkaido-specific products in the Nijo Market, such as crabs, honeydew melons, etc., which are locally produced in Hokkaido and can be bought for you to take home.

Tanuki koji Shopping Street

If you have lived in Japan for a while, you will find that there is always a shopping street in every city. Sapporo is no exception. The shopping street here is called "Tanukikoji", with a total length of more than 900 meters and more than 200 stores. Moreover, the entire shopping street is arranged indoors, just like the shopping street in Shinsaibashi. , don’t worry even if it snows.

The location of Tanukikoji Shopping Street starts from "Sosei Kawadori" opposite Nijo Market. As long as you walk from Nijo Market to the river, you will reach Tanukikoji 1-chome at Tanukikoji Shopping Street after crossing a pedestrian bridge.

Tanukikoji Shopping Street is just like many shopping streets. Whether it is a restaurant, a drug store, a clothing store, a convenience store, or a game store, you can meet all your needs in Sapporo tourism here at Tanukikoji. In addition to being a shopping street suitable for tourists, Tanukikoji is also a place for daily activities of Sapporo residents, so there is no need to worry about exaggeratedly high consumer prices.

More Tanukikoji stores and shopping information: Tanukikoji shopping street (formally)
How to get there: Get off at Susukino (すすきの) station, walk for 3 minutes, get off at "Tanukoji" station, and walk for 1 minute

Recommended Discount Tickets: Sapporo Kanimotoya Kaiseki Course Discount

Susukino Site

If the theme of Odori Park is "Snow", then the theme of the Susukino venue will be "Ice". At the Susukino venue, it will be differentIce sculpture, ice slide experience, lighting exhibitionMain venue.

Although the Susukino venue is not very large compared with Odori Park, there are dozens of different ice sculptures for you to take pictures. Some brands even participate in the ice sculpture exhibition at the Susukino venue every year, and their ice sculptures can be said to be like you have never seen before. For example, the ice sculptures of the sushi restaurant "Kidyomura すしざんまい" must be the focus of the Susukino venue every year.

For travelers who come to Hokkaido from the south for the first time, I believeHokkaido can give you the biggest impact, Even the ice cubes will not melt when placed outside, this is something that has never been seen in decades!

On the Susukino venue, in addition to being the venue for the ice sculpture exhibition, there are actually a lot of restaurants and izakayas on the Susukino side. Simply put, it is a bit like Kabukicho in Shinjuku, Tokyo. It is a place for nightlife and eating in Sapporo. Therefore, you can put the Susukino venue at the end when arranging the itinerary, so that you can visit the venue directly after dinner.

Susukino venue information

According to past experience, the Susukino venue isFrom Minami 4jo Street to Minami 7jo Street, roughly divided into 6 main parts, from Block A to Block F, starting with large ice sculptures, then to small and medium ice sculptures, then to lighting exhibitions, rest areas, information desks, and finally ice slides made of ice sculptures.
The scope of the entire Susukino venue is not very large. If you seriously visit every ice sculpture, you will finish it in about 45 minutes.

Features of the Susukino venue

As I said just now, Block A to Block C are the most worthwhile to visit at the Susukino venue. That’s because there is usually a huge ice sculpture on Block A to welcome you. You can take a picture here first Punch in and take a photo before starting the tour.

Then there will be ice sculptures sponsored by different shops and brands on Block B and Block C. Although you will slowly discover that most of the ice sculptures here are actually advertisements one after another, but the design and craftsmanship of many ice sculptures are absolutely not sloppy at all. If you come here for the first time If Sapporo participates in the Snow Festival, I dare say that there should not be the same ice sculpture design in other places.

After you walk through Block B and Block C and see the larger ice sculptures, you can walk to Block D where you will find the tourist information desk, food stalls and places where you can take pictures as souvenirs.
Block E is an exhibition focusing on lighting, a bit like the lighting design you usually see at Christmas.

And the last Block F in the venue is "Hands-on ice sculptures” as the theme, the ice sculptures here are not surrounded by fences like Block A – Block C, but you can sit on these large ice sculptures and experience what it’s like to sit on a piece of ice. I believe it will be An experience you've never had before.
In addition, if the schedule is not very urgent, you can also queue up to experience the ice slide on Block F, because you will experience how much the speed of the slide can be different from what you imagined!

If you feel that there are only a few ice sculptures at the Susukino venue, you will worry that it seems a bit boring. You can watch the on-site interview of the HBC reporter first, and let the reporter take you from Block A to Block F, and then decide whether to spend time Go to the Susukino venue.
But if you have already decided to go to the Susukino venue, don’t watch this video, because when you know in advance what the Susukino venue will be like, it will give you a little less surprise.

Recommended time to visit the Susukino venue

Although the ice sculptures have two different forms during the day and at night, you can go to the Susukino venue once during the day, and then go one more time at night. However, based on the experience of visiting in the past, since the ice sculptures are mainly translucent, it is actually not easy to see clearly during the day, but when it arrivesThe details of each ice sculpture can only be seen after Light Up at night.
In addition, as I said just now, there are many restaurants and izakayas in Susukino, so it is worth putting the Susukino venue after dinner in the itinerary, so that you can enjoy the ice sculptures in the best condition most conveniently. exhibition.

Another point is the opening time of the Susukino venue, because the Susukino venue is open late every day, usually during the 8-day Sapporo Snow Festival, half of the time is opened at 15:00 pm, and then it is open until 22:00 pm 00. In order to avoid the opportunity to miss out, it is recommended to visit the ice sculpture exhibition in the evening

Susukino venue is suitable for those who

The Susukino venue is the same as the Odori Park venue, whether it is a two-person tour, a solo tour, or a family tour. Generally speaking, 45 minutes is enough to visit. However, if you like ice slides or take pictures with ice sculptures, it is a good choice to arrange a little more time to stay at the Susukino venue. It’s not a bad idea to return to the hotel room after visiting the ice sculptures and eating another bowl of ramen.

Things to do near Susukino Venue

Basically, the starting point of the Susukino venue is near Susukino Station, and it is only a 3-minute walk from Susukino Station to Tanukikoji Shopping Street. So after visiting the Susukino venue, you can go directly to Tanukikoji Shopping Street for shopping and shopping.

Tsudome Site (Tsudome Site)*

*The Tsudome venue will be reopened for the 2024 Sapporo Snow Festival

If you want to talk about the biggest feature of the Tsudome venue, the Odori Park venue, and the Susukino venue, it must be that the Tsudome venue has a large number of ice and snow installations that you can personally experience!

Because it is on the outdoor part of the Tsudome venueThere are already more than 3 groups of snow slides alone, one of which isSlide down from a height of 10 meters, The sense of speed alone can already get full marks. In addition, there are snow rubber boats, snow golf, etc. to experience. In addition, the indoor part of the Tsudome venue also has a large number of inflatable slides, climbing devices, booth games, etc. for children and young children.

If you are traveling to Hokkaido with your family and children, the Tsudome venue is the place you must go. But if you don't come to Sapporo with children,The Tsudome venue is very worth visiting! becauseOnly at the Tsudome venue will there be that kind of giant, high-speed, unimaginable snow slide, no matter how much you insist on not screaming at the beginning, you will always scream at the last moment.

Just like the HBC reporter's personal experience in the video below, you will know why there is always a queue for the snow slides at the Tsudome venue, and even if it takes 20 minutes to queue, everyone is still willing to queue again and again to play!

Itinerary for the Tsudome venue

Also because of the Tsudome venueFar from Sapporo Station, you need to walk for 15 minutes from the subway Toho Line "栄cho Station", or use the official paid shuttle bus from "Odori Station" or "栄cho Station" to go directly to the Tsudome venue. And there are a lot of people waiting for the shuttle bus during the holidays, so everyoneIt is recommended to arrive early.

In addition, most of the activities at the Tsudome venue will end around 17:00 in the afternoon, and there are really many people queuing up to participate in the snow slides, so if you want to play more snow slides, it is best to go toCome here as soon as the Tsudome venue opens at around 09:00 in the morning.

If it is calculated by queuing for 20 minutes to participate in a single snow slide, if you plan to participate in three times, then add rest time, wandering time, traffic time connecting Tsudome venue and Sapporo Station, etc., starting at about 10:00 in the morning,Spend 3 hours here at the Tsudome venue, you should be able to participate in most of the activities in the Tsudome venue, and then return to Odori Park for lunch at noon. After lunch, continue to visit the snow statues in Odori Park.

How to get to the Tsudome venue

• 15 minutes on foot from Subway Toho Line "Ekimachi Station"
• Use the official paid shuttle bus at "Odori Station" and "Ekimachi Station" to go directly to the Tsudome venue

Who is suitable for the Tsudome venue?

Although the group of the highest and fastest snow slides will be for people over the age of 4, many people come to the Tsudome venue just for that snow slide, and will spend hours playing on that snow slide. But in fact, there are many activities in the entire Tsudome venue for young children and children.It is most suitable if you come with children.

However, be careful that children are tired and need to rest when they leave after playing, so it will be more inconvenient when waiting for the connecting traffic.

Attraction arrangements after going to the Tsudome venue

If you go to the Tsudome venue in the morning, you should start to feel a little tired around noon. At this time, it is recommended to find a restaurant to eat first. Whether it is Sapporo's famous soup curry or Sapporo ramen, there are several restaurants worth trying.

If you really can’t think of what to eat, and you still have plenty of time, take a little time toRamen shop Sapporo IchigoanBoth are a good choice.

Further reading: Sapporo gourmet list

Ramen Shop Sapporo Ichigoan Address:
〒060-0004 Sapporo City, Chuo-ku, Hokkaido, Kita Shijo Nishi 1-chome 1 Fan Hokren Building B1F

Ramen shop Sapporo Ichigoan business hours: 11:00 – 15:00, 17:00 – 20:00 every day (only under normal circumstances, please check the official website for actual business hours)

Recommended one-day flow for visiting the Sapporo Snow Festival

I believe that after coming here, you will have a good understanding of several different venues. I wonder how you will decide to arrange the day-to-day process of the Sapporo Snow Festival?

morning itinerary

If you give priority to experiencing the snow slides like me, you can arrange to go to the Tsudome venue* in the morning to play the slides until you are tired, and then go to have a rich ramen/soup curry lunch. After lunch, let’s go to the Odori Park venue first to see what the snow statue will look like during the day. It should be around 15:00 in the afternoon.

Afternoon itinerary

After watching the snow statue, you can go shopping at the Rokkatei specialty store, or go to the large shopping mall at Sapporo Station. When you are almost hungry around 18:00 in the afternoon, you can go to have dinner. After dinner, it should be around 19:00. It is most suitable to go to the Odori Park venue now. The goal is to select a few venues with large snow statues to focus on.

Evening itinerary

Stay at the Odori Park venue until about 20:00, and then you can watch all the performances you should see, then go to the Susukino venue to watch the ice sculptures, and if you need to eat more ramen, go to the izakaya to eat something. Return to hotel room.

Itinerary for the next day

As for Tanukikoji Shopping Street and Nijo Market, wait until the morning after visiting all the venues of the Snow Festival. Basically, one hour is enough to visit the entire Nijo Market, and then another hour is enough to go to Tanukikoji Shopping Street. If you start the trip at 09:00 in the morning, you can complete these two attractions at about 11:30.

Transportation packages required to go to different venues

Since going to different venues of the Sapporo Snow Festival, as well as different attractions, you may need to take the Sapporo Subway (Sapporo City Subway), so buy a ticket before departure in the morning.1-Day Pass for Subway Only"will be more favorable. One ticket is ¥830. If the fare of the shortest distance "Zone 1" is ¥210 for a one-way trip, about 4 rides can just offset the cost of a one-day ticket.

If you depart from Sapporo Station in the morning, you will first go to the Tsudome venue, and then return to Sapporo Station at noon. Departing to Odori Station in the afternoon and returning to Sapporo Station in the evening can just offset the cost of the 1-day bus ticket and save about ¥100.

In addition, there is a discount ticket called "Doni-Chika-kippu" (Doni-Chika-kippu), which is the same as the "Subway 1-day ticket" that can take the subway in Sapporo city freely within one day. The fare is a bit cheaper than the "Subway Specialized 1-Day Pass", only ¥520.
However, there are more restrictions on usage, and it can only be used on designated days, such as weekends, holidays, and the period from the end of the year to the New Year, so I don’t intend to introduce too much. It’s just that if you have the opportunity to meet a ¥520 ticket, you don’t need to be too nervous. That one is most likely from “ドニチカキップ”.

Where to buy "1-Day Subway Pass": Sapporo Tongying Subway Ticket Vending Machines

How to check the weather during the Sapporo Snow Festival

Although for you who come to Sapporo from the south, Hokkaido in the whole winter is a snow-covered Hokkaido at any time, it seems that there will be no big difference. But as long as you stay in Sapporo for a few more days, you will findThere will be subtle changes between different weather conditions, will alsoDecide what kind of snow festival experience you end up with.

In general, Hokkaido'sFebruary is the month with the most snowfall, there will be heavy snow almost every day, but there will also be blizzards or sunny days all day long. Basically, heavy snow will not affect your participation in the Sapporo Snow Festival, but it will add atmosphere to your Hokkaido itinerary. As long as you pay attention to keeping warm, there will be no major problems.

insteadBlizzard will affect your mobility throughout the journey, because it is really very cold during the blizzard, if you want to stay outside for 20 minutes, unless you have superhuman abilities, it is impossible. andThe Influence of Sunny Days on Participation in Snow FestivalThat is, the sunlight will turn part of the snow on the ground into ice, which will be easy to slip when walking by, and the sunlight will melt some small snow statues, which may be a little discounted in appearance.

So before arriving in Sapporo, you can also use the localWeather forecast site tenki.jp / Mobile APPCheck out the weather for the next two weeks in Sapporo, the areas that the entire Hokkaido itinerary will pass through, and then decide how to arrange your itinerary in and around Sapporo. In particular, how to arrange the itinerary to avoid the influence of blizzard is the experience gained from living in Hokkaido for a long time.

Further reading: Mobile apps commonly used during Japan travel

What to wear to participate in the Sapporo Snow Festival

If you want to move around conveniently in Hokkaido, you must consider "layering" and "can be increased or decreased at any time" when choosing winter clothing. Definitely don't wear it like you normally would in winter, as it will spoil your Hokkaido winter experience with 100%.

The reason is Hokkaido during heavy snowfallIt can be really cold outside, Basically, it is minus 3 degrees below zero and minus 8 ice for a long time, which will be colder than your refrigerator at home for a long time. But as soon as you step inside, you will find out why the restaurant staff can wear so little? Could it be that they are not afraid of the cold?
No, but because of theIn Sapporo, there must be heating indoors., the average will be set at 21 degrees - 24 degrees, just like your usual weather in early autumn. Moreover, most buildings in Hokkaido will adopt "high thermal insulation design". andEating ice in summer attire indoors in winter in Hokkaido, is the most normal thing.

Therefore, a better way to dress should be as suggested by the official Sapporo Snow Festival. When going out, you must bring a thick coat, down jacket, cold hat, scarf, gloves,some clothes that can be taken off at any time. The cold hat, scarf, and gloves are very important, because the body must be blocked from being directly exposed to the air to avoid frostbite.
And under the thick coat, it should beSome keep you warm, but keep you dryFor clothing, the first choice is UNIQLO’s HEAT TECH heating underwear, heating trousers, etc., and you can also use disposable heating packs and shoe heating stickers when necessary. Probably only such equipment can avoid easy hypothermia in a heavy snow environment.

For more sharing on dressing and keeping warm in Hokkaido in winter, you can check here: Clothing and gear list for Hokkaido winter life

How to arrange suitable accommodation to participate in the Sapporo Snow Festival?

Also because the crowds of people who come to Sapporo Snow Festival are huge, and it is absolutely not easy to walk around while handling suitcases on the snow, so it is necessary to book hotel accommodation during the Sapporo Snow Festivaladopt a different strategy, you can make your entire trip to Sapporo Snow Festival and Hokkaido smoother.

Be sure to book your hotel room early

If you are going to participate in the Sapporo Snow Festival, almost every yearIn November and December, you must book the room during the snow festival. Because under normal circumstances, the closer the snow festival is held, the higher the hotel room rate during the Sapporo Snow Festival. In addition, even if the room rate is several times the normal rate, there may not be any available rooms for you to book.

For example, near Odori Station, the 4-star "Tokyu Stay Sapporo Odori"For example, the usual price of a double room is only about ¥7,000 yen, but one month before the snow festival, the price will double or triple, and there are very few remaining room types. It is common for several nearby chain hotels to have no vacancy at the same time. If you plan to book a hotel room a few days before departure, you need to prepare your backup plan.

Latest hotel booking recommendations

• "OMO5 Otaru", "OMO3 Susukino""Hoshino Resorts' newly opened Sapporo and Otaru discount accommodation plan
• Sapporo Area Hotel Accommodation Recommendations》From luxury rooms to cheap deals! Plus push to share the secrets of booking a room at the Sapporo Snow Festival and winter snow!

Concentrate search for hotels near Sapporo Station

Also because throughout the winterHokkaido is a snow country environment, so arranging hotel rooms for the winter itinerary will be the same as you did in the summer, as well as in Tokyo, Osaka, etc.completely different things to consider.

The reason is very simple, because in Hokkaido in winter,Your favorite snow is the source of your frustration. Even if the staff work hard to clear the snow in the morning, with the amount of snowfall in Hokkaido, it only takes a few hours of continuous heavy snowfall to produce 10cm to 30cm of snow. while inDragging a suitcase in a snowy environment is actually an extremely painful thing.
Not only because of the cold weather, the fingers will be stiff and painful, but more importantly,Generally, the suitcase is completely unable to be dragged in the snow environment.. You can only hug from the station and walk through the snow, and be careful not to slip to get to the hotel.

Therefore, when arranging accommodation for the Sapporo Snow Festival, it is recommended to book a hotel near Sapporo Station.
In addition to being able to quickly check in the room as soon as you arrive in Sapporo, there are two other benefits:

• The main shopping and dining facilities in Sapporo are actually at Sapporo Station, and the famous "Ramen Republic" is all here at Sapporo Station
• In addition, when you go out of the station to other attractions in Hokkaido, you can quickly take different JR trains from Sapporo Station to other areas

Therefore, arranging accommodation near Sapporo Station will be more convenient than booking accommodation in other areas of Sapporo.

Accommodation options worth considering

As I said earlier, go toThe most suitable accommodation plan for the Sapporo Snow Festival is to arrange it at Sapporo Station.
andHotel Nikko Sapporo JR TowerAmong the many hotels near Sapporo Station, it is one of the more comfortable hotels with better views. In addition to the fact that it is a 3-minute walk from Sapporo Station, you can reach Hotel Nikko Sapporo JR Tower without going outside, and more importantly, you don’t need to worry about what to eat or buy, because there are already several hotels when you walk out of the hotel. In large department stores, you can basically shop around for a whole day without any problems.

If you haven't decided which hotel station to book, you can also check it outHotel Nikko Sapporo JR TowerIs this room still available? If there are no vacancies, you can use the subway from Sapporo Station to the Odori Park side "Tokyu Stay Sapporo Odori", but you have to be careful of the inconvenience caused by crowds rushing to the subway station during the snow festival.

Prepare your back-up accommodation plan

In case it is really unfortunate that all the hotels near Sapporo Station, Odori Park, and Susukino venue are not available, the only solution at this time is to start searching for hotel rooms in other areas of Sapporo City.

For example, like the Koto in Nishi Ward, Sapporo CityVILLA KOSHIDO KOTONI,VILLA KOSHIDO KOTONI annex, although it is not a general hotel room design, it is more similar to the environment of daily household with kitchen, and it is far away from Sapporo Station, it takes 24 minutes to get there by subway. But in the case of tight room supply, there is no way out.

Another backup plan is to arrange accommodation at a 46-minute drive from Sapporo, another popular attraction in Hokkaido – Otaru.
In addition to avoiding the crowds of reservations at the Sapporo Snow Festival, this plan can also have the opportunity to stay in Otaru for one night. If you came to Hokkaido at the end of the Sapporo Snow Festival, you can also have the opportunity to see the Otaru Snow Lantern Road (Otaru snow あかりの路) production process.

In terms of accommodation options, in addition to staying in a narrow room like the Dormy Inn, you can actually chooseHoshino Resorts OMO5 Otaru. The "OMO5 Otaru by Hoshino Group" on the Otaru side not only has a relatively spacious room, but you can also stay at a Hoshino Group hotel at a relatively affordable price. Moreover, "OMO5 Otaru by Hoshino Group" will also provide sightseeing guide services that other hotels will not have. I believe it will be a rare experience in the Hokkaido itinerary.

In addition, if you want to see more sharing related to Beihai hotel rooms, please click hereHokkaido Accommodation PlanOver there, there is a collection of recommendations for various types of accommodation plans!

Sapporo station is very important to you

After introducing you to the Sapporo Snow Festival and accommodation arrangements, it is probably time to introduce to you how to use Sapporo Station, an important landmark, during the Sapporo Snow Festival.

Sapporo is designed like other Japanese cities, the JR station will always be the central part of the whole city. So many facilities are concentrated at Sapporo Station, for example, there are several department stores near Sapporo Station,There will be a tourist information center inside Sapporo Station, if you need any assistance during the Sapporo Snow Festival, you can ask the staff of the Tourist Service Center for help.

In addition, at Sapporo Station, there are also a lot of them that can be given to youPaid lockers for suitcases, please prepare your transportation IC card or 100YEN coins before arriving at Sapporo Station.
If your hotel room is not arranged near Sapporo Station, but you come to Sapporo, you hope toParticipate in the snow festival, then go shoppingif you canPut the suitcase in the locker first,wait untilAfter visiting the snow festival, I took back my suitcase and went shoppingIt's the most convenient.

Another point is that in winter in Hokkaido,Sapporo station is the best place for you to keep warm. In addition to the long-term heating, multiple open fire heaters will be added in a particularly cold environment, and there are many restaurants in the station. Basically, even if the environment is minus 10 degrees, there is no need to worry too much.

Recommended discount package: Discounts on JR Pass purchases across Japan / Hokkaido JR Pass Discounts

Daily life that needs attention in Hokkaido itinerary

Maybe it's the first time for you to come to Hokkaido in winter, and there are some daily life that deserve your attention. Of course, if it is not your first time to come to Hokkaido, I believe you should take the following points for granted.

no one opens an umbrella on a snowy day

Perhaps you have experienced snow in Tokyo and Kyoto, where residents are used to opening umbrellas on snowy days. But here in Hokkaido, you will find that the local Hokkaido people rarely do this. That's because the temperature in Hokkaido is relatively cold, and the snow that falls is mainly powder snow. When the snow falls on the body, it is not easy to melt. Basically, the snow on the body can be patted away with a few taps.

Another reason is that the snow can easily turn into ice after being exposed to sunlight.Holding an umbrella with one hand can be very dangerous when slipping, and may injure others.

The phone needs to be placed close to the body

existHokkaido environment in winter, simply put, it is colder than your refrigerator. In this environment, mobile phones, cameras, etc.Electronic devices are prone to automatically power off. If you don't want to speed up the consumption of battery life, and want to use it immediately every time you take it out, you should place your mobile phone and camera close to your body, and keep the machine on standby at room temperature. Then return them to keep warm when they're done so you don't miss a photo opportunity.

Drinks and food containing water must be put away

Basically all foods and beverages containing waterNeeds to be wrapped and placed deep in the backpack, or everything turns to ice. Because the daily temperature in Hokkaido is maintained below -2 degrees, as long as you put the drink out of your backpack for half an hour, you will find that a stick of green tea that cost ¥150 to heat will half condense, and a rice ball that was originally warm They are as hard as stone.

So in winter in Hokkaido, even if you are very hungry, you must eat indoors before continuing to the next itinerary.

Be careful when walking on any reflective surfaces

In Hokkaido, heavy snow is not terrible,frozen road(ろめんとけつ) is the most terrifying, because the snow is always hard to guard against when the snow turns into a smooth ice surface due to sunlight. And the way to judge the ice surface isAvoid stepping on any reflective surfaces, the other is to wear something withnon-slip shoesCome to Hokkaido

If you come to Hokkaido and find that you are wearing inappropriate shoes, you can also go to a convenience store to find some reinforced non-slip uppers to assist. butThere is basically no need to buy crampons, unless you are planning to spend a long time outdoors in the snow, crampons may damage the store floor indoors and cause unnecessary trouble.

Suitable for arranging follow-up itineraries at the Sapporo Snow Festival

Hokkaido in February is not only the coldest month in winter in Hokkaido, but also the month when different snow festivals are held.

If you can stay in Hokkaido for a week, two weeks or longer, Otaru's Snow Lantern Road, Asahikawa Winter Festival, and Chitose Shikotsu Lake Bingtao Festival are all snow festivals and winter festivals worth visiting. In addition, Niseko and Tomamu Hoshino Resorts are all good ski resorts, and it is an itinerary to arrange to stay there for a few days.

If you plan to go to different snow festivals and winter festivals in Hokkaido, in fact, in addition to using JR trains and self-driving tours, you can also consider participating in different local guided tours. As long as you board the tourist bus in the morning, you can travel around Hokkaido in a relatively easy and convenient way

Here are a few local guided tours worth booking:
[English/Chinese-speaking guide] Noboribetsu & Lake Toya One-day Tour (Depart from Sapporo)
[Chinese/English-speaking guide] Hokkaido Day Trip: Asahiyama Zoo & Platinum Blue Pond & Other Attractions (Depart from Sapporo)
60 minutes / 90 minutes snowmobile driving experience (including coach, Sapporo transportation)

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Also, if time permits, go to Hakodate to see the night view, or go to Wakkanai - the northernmost location in Japan, then go to Asahikawa, Furano, and finally return to Sapporo. Simply put, Hokkaido is a very vast area with many scenic spots. So if you want to know more itinerary recommendations in Hokkaido, you can check out theHokkaido Travel Information Classification, there are more Hokkaido-related attractions, accommodation, restaurants, and Hokkaido life to share.

I hope this sharing with the Sapporo Snow Festival can be of some help to you, and you should also check this website regularly, maybe you will find more travel information suitable for you!

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