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The most famous winter festival in Japan
Sapporo Snow Festival is the most famous winter festivals in Japan. It is held in early February in Sapporo, Hokkaido every year. If you have a chance to be in Japan during the season, it is worth to go visit the festival. Especially, if you haven’t seen snow, you must be impressed by the beauty of snow sculptures. I live in Hokkaido for more than 30 years and it is one of the best events in Hokkaido which I would like recomended to people from overseas.The location of Sapporo
Before I explain about the festival, I want to introduce about Sapporo. Sapporo is the largest city in Hokkaido and the population size is a little less than 2 million. Hokkaido is northern island and if you see the map of Japan, you might think it is very far from Tokyo. But if you take airplane it takes less than 2 hours. So if you have 2 free days, you can visit Sapporo from Tokyo.
History of the Festival
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Sapporo Snow Festival is first held in 1950. Odori Park, the main site of Sapporo Snow Festival, was snow disposal yard in winter. Some junior high school students and high school students gathered to create snow sculptures. They made 6 snow sculptures and that was the beginning of Sapporo Snow Festival and it became bigger and bigger by year. In 2016, the event attracted more than 2.6 million people.
About the Festival
Sapporo Snow Festival usually starts around the second week of February. The festival is held about a week but there is also a site which is opened for an additional week. There are three sites; Odori Park Site, Susukino Site, and Tsu-Dorm Site.
Odori Park Site
The main site is Odori Park Site and it is located at the center of Sapporo city. Odori Park is about 1 km away from JR Sapporo station and takes about 10 minutes on feet. The park is about 1.5 km long and you can enjoy various snow sculptures by walking inside the park.
The size of the largest snow sculptures is about 25 meter wide and 15 meter tall. There are also a dozens of large sculptures and large ice sculptures. At Odori Park Site you can enjoy many events like music and dance on stages made of snow. Also some public recordings of TV and radio are held on the stage. There are also many food stands and you can enjoy delicious Hokkaido Food. Snow sculptures of Odori Park Sites are lit up daily until 22:00.
The best place check out the full view of the festival is from Sapporo TV tower. Sapporo TV Tower is at the end of the Odori Park. During the snow festival, observatory deck is open from 8:00 to 22:30. The ticket cost 720 yen for adult and if you pay 1100 yen, you can enter both daytime and night time.
Susukino Site
Susukino Site is located at the largest entertainment district in Hokkaido, Susukino. At Susukino Site, you can enjoy ice sculptures. Ice sculptures are more delicate work compare to snow sculptures. I recommend you to go after enjoying snow sculptures because they light up until 23:00. Susukino is only 500m away from Odori Park.
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Tsu-Dorm Site
The route to Tsu-Dorm Site takes about 20 minutes from JR Sapporo Station by subway. The nearest subway station is Toho-line, Sakaemachi Station. Tsu-Dorm Site is more for family. There are many fun attractions for kids like snow slide, snow rafting, and snowmobile. It is open from 9 am to 5 pm every day.
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Wrap yourself up!
February is the coldest season in Hokkaido and it is freezing. Even, people in Hokkaido feel it is very cold at the season. Don’t forget to wrap yourself up well. Especially, if you go to Tsu-Dorm Site you might need ski-wear. Disposal heating pads are good item to get warm.
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