1 A new hands-on music, food and craft festival opens in Sapporo "CRAFTLAND" (Sapporo City)

Image source: CRAFTLAND

A new outdoor event will be held in Sapporo in early summer. The theme of "Craftsmanship by Everyone" is music, food and drink, and workshops that will help you fall in love with crafting. The appeal of "CRAFTLAND" is that you can enjoy a variety of experiences.

Image source: CRAFTLAND

In addition to solo performances, artists will also be collaborating and performing with guests, and there will also be live performances that you can't usually see at "CRAFTLAND". If you stay at the campsite "Auto Resort Takino" located in the National Takino Suzuran Hills Park, where the event will be held, you can experience the thrill of an outdoor event even more.

2 An outdoor event where you can taste Japanese beef, including Shiraoi beef, is back for the first time in five years at the "2024 Shiraoi Beef Festival" (Shiraoi Town)

Image source: Shiraoi Town

This popular festival where you can eat your fill of Shiraoi beef is back for the first time in five years. The festival's specialty is the spectacular "whole roasted black beef" where an entire cow is grilled right in front of you. Another fun part is grilling the meat you purchased in advance using the charcoal grill installed at the venue.

Image source: Shiraoi Town

At the venue, menu items using Shiraoi beef, such as hamburgers and burgers, will be on sale. In addition, gourmet food such as Japanese black beef from around the country, "Matsuzaka beef" and "Fukushima beef," will also be available, so you can compare them with Hokkaido's representative brand beef, "Shiraoi beef."

3 The port town's herring and scallop festival, "Otaru Shukutsu Herring and Scallop Festival" (Otaru City)

Image source: Otaru Shukutsu Tanage Association

Shukutsu in Otaru City is an area that still retains the history of a fishing village that once prospered from herring fishing. The Otaru Shukutsu Herring and Otate Festival is held in Shukutsu. You can enjoy delicious herring and Otaru scallops and otate to your heart's content.

Image source: Otaru Shukutsu Tanage Association

In addition to herring and scallops that you can cook however you like, you can also enjoy experiences unique to a port town, such as direct sales of seafood such as flounder, sea urchin, and mantis shrimp, as well as fishing for sea crabs and scallops.

4 A music festival to enjoy in the forest "OTO TO TABI presents Shake Concert 2024" (Sapporo City)

Image courtesy of minaco.

The "Shake Concert," which started in 2022, will be held again this year at Sapporo Art Park. In addition to live music, the event will also have a live stage for comedy and other shows, and the area will be expanded to include food, drink, and miscellaneous goods stalls, making it even more powerful than last year.

Image courtesy of minaco.

The venue, the outdoor stage at Sapporo Art Park, is a grassy area surrounded by nature, perfect for enjoying the pleasant early summer weather. You can enjoy the event in a variety of ways, whether you want to relax on a picnic sheet or get up and have fun.

5 Experience early summer on the shores of a beautiful lake at the Lake Shikotsu Festival (Chitose City)

Image source: Chitose Tourism Association

A seasonal summer event in Chitose, held at Lake Shikotsu, which boasts the best water quality in Japan. This festival is unique to the excellent natural environment of Lake Shikotsu, with stage events such as street performances and taiko drumming, as well as displays and test drives of environmentally friendly cars.

Image source: Chitose Tourism Association

In addition, we will be selling salt-grilled Lake Shikotsu tip (kokanee salmon), which can be fished for in June every year. It is a very popular item and can sell out quickly. Please enjoy this festival, which is full of nature and Lake Shikotsu characteristics, in the pleasant early summer weather.

6 The highlight is the heated races at the 57th Oketo Summer Festival and the 47th Human Draft Horse Meet (Oketo Town)

Image source: Okitocho

The Oketo Summer Festival is a representative summer event in Oketo Town. One of the must-see events is the Human Draft Horse Competition, which is synonymous with Oketo Town. It is an exciting competition in which participants and spectators alike pull a steel sled loaded with logs in a team and aim for the finish line.

Image source: Okitocho

There will also be stage shows, dance performances, and a raffle with fantastic prizes. At the end of the event, there will be fireworks to close the festival.

7 Create early summer memories overlooking the Sapporo cityscape at "Moiwa Mountain Day" (Sapporo City)

Image source: Sapporo Moiwa Mountain Ropeway

This event will be held on May 31st, "Mount Moiwa Day," in honor of Mount Moiwa, which is 531 meters above sea level and located almost in the center of Sapporo. A variety of events, from experiences to gourmet food, will be held over the four days from May 30th to June 2nd.

Image source: Sapporo Moiwa Mountain Ropeway

There will be a mobile zoo, insect exhibits, magic shows, food trucks, and a photo contest. You can enter with photos taken during the event, so you can create memories of beautiful scenery and lovely smiles.

8 "Green Belt Festival" (Chitose City) - Experience riding work vehicles and heavy machinery

Image source: Chitose City Environmental Improvement Business Cooperative Association

This festival takes place in the Greenbelt, a series of open spaces near Chitose Station. It is packed with attractions for children to enjoy, such as the Skymaster (aerial work vehicle) ride, which offers a panoramic view of the popular venue every year, and the mini heavy machinery ride.

Image source: Chitose City Environmental Improvement Business Cooperative Association

The event will feature performances on stage and over 30 food trucks and stalls, making it a recommended weekend getaway for the family.

9 A variety of delicious gourmet foods lined up in front of the station "It's Gourmet! Everyone Gather in Hokuto 2024" (Hokuto City)

Image source: Hokuto City

The delicious foods of southern Hokkaido and Tohoku are gathered in Hokuto City. The street in front of Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station will be turned into a pedestrian precinct, and there will be a line of food stalls selling various foods from Hokuto City, the surrounding areas, and even Tohoku.

Image source: Hokuto City

In addition to the food stalls, there will also be a brass band performance on stage. As it will be held in front of Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station, people visiting Hokkaido by Shinkansen can also stop by.

10 Also held a theater workshop: "Genmaki Orchestra #39 1/2 'Station Anniversary'" (Sapporo)

Image source: Genmaki Orchestra

The Sapporo-based theater company "Genmaki Gakudan" is active not only in Hokkaido but also throughout Japan. Since 2017, Genmaki Gakudan has been performing the play "Shutei Kinenbi," which was born in Okinawa and is set there. The highlight of the play is the mysterious original direction that can only be seen on stage, with multiple actors taking turns playing each character.

Image source: Genmaki Orchestra

This performance will be presented as a satellite program of the Sapporo Theater Season 2024, a festival in which plays are performed every day at theaters throughout Sapporo, but there will also be a performance in Okinawa on June 29th. In addition, a workshop using an actual stage set is also planned as a related event.