Sapporo has a lot to offer. It’s the Prefectural Capital of Hokkaido and Japan’s fifth largest city. Thanks to Hokkaido’s reputation as a skiing and snowboarding paradise, most people visit Sapporo just for the winter sports. This is a shame! Even during Hokkaido’s harsh winter, it’s worth spending some time exploring Sapporo.
You don’t want to miss Sapporo in winter; there’s some really cool stuff to do here (no pun intended)! Let’s start with the biggest winter attraction — The Snow Festival.
Contents
Sapporo Snow Festival
The Snow Festival (Yuki Matsuri) is Hokkaido’s biggest event. It began in 1950 when a few local students built snow sculptures in Odori Park.
It’s now a major festival. Snow and ice sculptures line Odori Park’s 1.5 km stretch through downtown Sapporo. The festival draws over two million people each year.
The Sculptures
Twelve city blocks are devoted to the sculptures. One of them is reserved for international teams to exhibit their work.
If you’re lucky, you might catch a team working on their sculpture. You’ll really appreciate the time, skill, and effort needed to make such amazing works of art.
The snow and ice exhibits are beautiful during the day… but don’t miss them at night! The illuminated sculptures are truly an amazing sight.
Even if you’ve seen ice sculptures before, you’ve probably never seen anything like this. The sculptures can get quite large – up to 15 meters (49 feet) high and 25 meters (82 feet) wide.
Many teams use cranes, scaffolding, bulldozers, and other construction equipment to build them. You can even walk around inside some of them!
Previous years have had ice sculptures with surround sound. Japanese baseball and movie stars have been made into sculptures. A famous sculpture featured characters from the newest Star Wars movie.
The festival has two other sites besides Odori Park: Susukino and Tsudome.
Susukino
The Susukino site hosts an ice-carving competition. In 2017 Susukino had 60 ice-carvings on display — including two you could ride! There’s also an ice-bar serving hot drinks.
Tsudome
The Tsudome site has many activities for families.
They include a long tube slide, an all-ages ice-slide, snow foot golf, and the chance to roll around in the snow inside a giant bumper ball. Starting in 2018, you’ll also have the chance to sled there.
There’s also a skating rink, snow slides, snowboard and ski jump demonstrations, food booths, and ongoing entertainment.
The official Snow Festival website has all the information you need. Don’t miss the list of where you can find the year’s most popular sculptures.
Note: Flying drones in the Snow Festival areas are strictly prohibited.
Check out this video of to learn more about the Snow Festival:
Dates
February 5 – 11th 2018 (the Tsudome site opens on the 1st of February)
Night Illumination Ending Times
- Odori Park Venue: 10:00pm
- Susukino Venue: 11:00pm (ends at 10:00pm on the final day of the festival)
Tsudome Hours
9:00am – 5:00pm
Admission
Free (though some activities have a fee)
For More Information
Yuki Matsuri Snow Festival Homepage
Insider’s Tip
For a bird’s eye view of the sculptures, head to the Sapporo TV Tower. The 90-meter observation platform gives you a great view of the Odori site.
The tower has special opening times during the snow festival.
You can buy a one-time entry ticket for 720 yen, or an 1100 yen ticket that gives you access during the day and night.
For More Information
Sapporo Beer Museum
After the snow festival, many people associate Sapporo beer (and also crab, miso ramen, and soup curry… Yum!). The beer museum is a fun place to visit, even for those who aren’t big beer fans.
The Sapporo Beer Museum doesn’t just give you the lowdown on beer’s history and production… you taste samples at the end of the tour! There’s also a beer garden with several restaurants, all of which have all-you-can-drink menus.
Beer was introduced to Japan in Sapporo. The museum is located in a former sugar factory built in the Meiji period.
Two Tour Options
You can choose from two options: a free tour or a paid tour.
The Free Tour
The free tour is a good chance to explore one of Hokkaido’s few heritage buildings. It’s a self-guided tour with English language pamphlets.
The Paid Tour
The second tour (in Japanese) includes a demonstration on how to pour the perfect glass of beer (500 yen). The museum exhibits focus more on the history of Sapporo beer than on how beer is made.
If You Like Craft Beer (or Beer in General)
I suggest you buy tickets for the beer samples. You can buy them at the end of your tour. At the time of my visit, it cost 600 yen for 3 beer samples and a snack.
Two More Cool Things to Know
One: The beer halls offer the chance to try another Hokkaido favorite: Genghis Khan. This is grilled lamb “Mongolian style.” It tastes a lot like the yakiniku you find elsewhere in Japan. Delicious!
Two: The Museum is open no matter how bad the weather gets… and Hokkaido is known for rough winters!
Hours
10:30am – 6:30pm (last entry 6:00pm)
Closed Mondays, over the New Year’s holiday period, and a few schedule days for special circumstances (factory maintenance, etc.)
When Monday is a public holiday, the museum closes Tuesday.
Admission
Free or 500 yen for the guided tour
For More Information
Insider’s Tip
If you want to take the paid tour on the weekend or during the Snow Festival, book in advance. The museum is a popular destination!
Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium
The Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium has several fun attractions. They include a museum, an observation platform, the ski jump, and the Okurayama Crystal House.