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EDITORIALS
Hokkaido's Winter Events - The Latest in 2024! 10 Events to Enjoy Winter in Hokkaido
- Sapporo Snow Festival (Sapporo), a major winter event in Sapporo City
- Chitose and Lake Shikotsu Hyobaku Festival (Chitose City), a museum of ice
- Asahikawa Winter Festival (Asahikawa City), a festival of snow, ice, and light
- Obihiro Ice Festival (Obihiro City), a fantastic ice art festival
- Otaru Snow Light Path (Otaru City)", illuminating the historic streets with lights
- Tokachigawa Swan Festival "Sairinka" (Otoe Town), a fantastic show of light and sound
- Sounkyo Hot Springs Ice Fall Festival (Kamikawa)
- Lake Shikaribetsu Kotan, a phantom village on a frozen lake (Shikaoi Town)
- Lake Akan ICE Aisu Akan (Winter Flowers) (Kushiro City)
- Jozankei Onsen Snow Lantern Festival (Sapporo)
1 Sapporo Snow Festival (Sapporo) is the biggest winter event in Sapporo.
The Sapporo Snow Festival, which started in 1950, is now one of Sapporo's major winter events, attracting more than 2 million visitors from Japan and abroad. A world of snow appears in Odori Park from Nishi 1-chome to Nishi 10-chome, centering on five large snow statues, small and medium-sized snow statues, citizens' snow statues, and winter attractions. At the Susukino venue, where fantastic ice sculptures stand side by side, visitors will be able to see and touch the ice sculptures and experience the world of ice. At the Tsudomu venue, visitors can enjoy various winter activities both indoors and outdoors.
Date and time: February 4 (Sun.) to 11 (Sun.), 2024
Light-up: Odori venue until 22:00 / Susukino venue until 23:00 *Last day at 22:00
TODOMU venue: 10:00 - 16:00
Venues: Odori Park, Susukino, Tsudomu
For details and map information of the Sapporo Snow Festival, click here.
2 Ice Museum "Chitose, Lake Shikotsu Hyobaku Festival (Chitose City)
This is Hokkaido's representative winter festival featuring ice sculptures of various sizes made of frozen lake water from Lake Shikotsu, which boasts one of the best water quality in Japan, sprayed by sprinklers. During the daytime, the objects glow a natural blue called "Lake Shikotsu Blue," and at night they are illuminated by colorful lights, inviting visitors into a magical world.
Date and Time:January 27, 2024 (Sat) ~ February 25, 2024 (Sun) 10:00 - 20:00 *Light up 16:30 - 20:00
Venue: Lake Shikotsu Onsen, Chitose City
Click here for details and map information of "Chitose-Lake Shikotsu Hyobaku Festival
3 Festival of Snow, Ice and Light "Asahikawa Winter Festival (Asahikawa City)
One of the major events representing Hokkaido's winter season, the Asahikawa Winter Festival has been held for more than 60 years in Asahikawa, where the average temperature in February is severely cold, below freezing. The festival will be lined with snow sculptures made by local citizens, including one of the world's largest snow sculptures, and for the first time in four years, a "Winter Marche" will be held, where visitors can enjoy local food. Visitors will be able to taste local cuisine and original winter festival menus.
Date: Wednesday, February 7 through Monday, February 12, 2024
Venue: Asahi Bridge downstream riverside, Heiwadori Shopping Park
Click here for details and map information of the Asahikawa Winter Festival.
4 Fantastic ice art "Obihiro Ice Festival (Obihiro City)
Obihiro Ice Festival is a major winter event in Obihiro City. Visitors can enjoy ice sculptures, ice and snow sculptures, and other unique winter activities at the festival site. There are many hands-on events such as a giant ice slide, a revolving sled, curling, and mountain bike test rides. There will also be food and beverage booths featuring delicious Tokachi ingredients.
Date and time: January 26 (Fri.) to 28 (Sun.), 2024, 10:00 to 20:00 *Close at 17:00 on the last day.
Venue: Midorigaoka Park area
Click here for details and map information of the Obihiro Ice Festival.
5 "Otaru Snow Light Path (Otaru City)" where lights illuminate the historic streets
A fantastic event in which warm candlelight gently illuminates the historic streets of Otaru will be held mainly at the canal site. Floating glass ball candles will twinkle on the surface of the canal water, and softly lit snow candles and objet d'art will create a fantastic world. At the Tenguyama site, visitors can enjoy the collaboration of the night view with the candlelight.
Dates: Saturday, February 10 - Saturday, February 17, 2024
Venues: Otaru Canal, the old Japan National Railways Temiya Line, Tenguyama, and other places in Otaru City
Click here for details and map information of Otaru Snow Light Path.
6 "Tokachigawa Swan Festival <Sairinka>", a fantastic show of light and sound (Otoe Town)
Sairinka" is a festival that decorates Tokachigawa Onsen Hot Springs in the bitter cold. This festival is held in honor of the swans that come to Tokachigawa Onsen every year. A fantastic show that creates a fantastic space by interlocking sound and light and a variety of other events will delight the eyes of all who see it. The fantastic space created by countless light sources on the vast snowfield provides an unforgettable experience.
Dates: January 27 (Sat) - February 18 (Sun) *Lighting hours: 19:00 - 21:00
Venue: Tokachigaoka Park
Click here for details and map information of "Tokachigawa Swan Festival <Sairinka> ".
7 Sounkyo Hot Springs Ice Fall Festival (Kamikawa Town): Ice Statues Making the Most of Extreme Cold Nature
One of the three major winter festivals in Hokkaido, the Sounkyo Hot Springs Festival is held every winter in Sounkyo Hot Springs, located in the Daisetsuzan National Park. The vast venue is lined with ice sculptures of various sizes, which are made to take advantage of the severe cold that freezes the waterfalls. At night, the ice sculptures are illuminated with lights of seven different colors, creating a fantastic atmosphere.
Dates: January 27 (Sat) - March 17 (Sun), 17:00 - 21:30 (last admission 21:15)
Venue: Kamikawa Sounkyo Hot Spring Ice Fall Festival
For details and map information of the Sounkyo Hot Spring Ice Fall Festival, click here.
8 Shikaribetsu Lake Cotan (Shikaoi Town), a phantom village that appears on a frozen lake
Lake Shikaribetsu is located at the highest altitude of any lake in Hokkaido. Lake Shikaribetsu is one of the clearest lakes in Japan, and by the end of December, the lake is completely covered with ice. The village of "Lake Shikaribetsu Kotan" appears on this completely frozen lake only during the winter. All of the village's structures are made entirely of ice and snow, and sink into the lake as the snow melts in the spring. Enjoy the beautiful, mysterious and fantastic world of snow and ice.
Date: Saturday, January 27 - Sunday, March 10, 2024
Venue: Lake Shikaribetsu
Click here for details and map information of Lake Shikaribetsu Kotan
9 " Lake Akan ICE, Love, Akan <Winter Flower Festival>" (Kushiro City)
Fireworks will be shot off on Lake Akan, which is completely frozen over, and "Aisu Land Akan," a limited-time ice leisure land, will make its debut. The night sky will be beautifully decorated with large fireworks from the ice on Lake Akan in the clear sub-zero air. Aisu Land Akan offers many attractions such as snowmobiles, banana boats and ATVs.
Dates: Thursday, February 1 to Saturday, March 2, 2024 *Fireworks display will be held until mid-March.
Venue: Special venue on Lake Akan ice
Click here for details and map information of "Lake Akan ICE, Aisu, Akan <Fuyukami> ".
10 Jozankei Onsen Snow Lantern Festival (Sapporo )
This snow art festival is held in Jozankei Onsen (hot spring) resort town, which is called the "back seat" of Sapporo. Snow candles create a fantastic space in Jozankei Shrine. Beyond the snow candle area, a mysterious forest called "Forest of Prayer" will appear, where light and images fuse with nature. The opening event on the first day of the festival features a mystical collaboration of snow lanterns and Gagaku (traditional Japanese court music).
Dates: Saturday, January 27, 2024 - Saturday, February 3, 2024, 18:00 - 21:00
Venue: Jozankei Shrine
Click here for details and map information of "Jozankei Onsen Yukitouro".
All information is subject to change. Please check the official website for details.