Odori Park, Hokkaido(Google Maps)

Grown from a simple student snow sculpture competition, the Sapporo Snow Festival is now Japan’s biggest winter festival. The event takes over the Hokkaido capital for a week every February and has drawn over 2.5 million visitors a year in its peak. Whether you want to admire larger-than-life international designs, enjoy light-projection shows or try a snowslide, there’s plenty to experience.

Hokkaido is Japan’s northernmost island and its capital Sapporo is known worldwide for beer, whiskey and historic Winter Olympics. While many visitors to Japan often can’t make the journey up north, for those who do, the Sapporo Yuki Matsuri, as it’s called in Japanese, is a fantastic reward. Great for couples wanting to stroll through displays enjoying warming cups of sake as well as families and groups of friends, it’s a popular event in Japanese calendars. For many years, it has also drawn visitors from abroad, including both contributors and admirers.

During the winter of 1950, students from three high schools and two junior high schools built six sculptures in Odori Park. Combined with a singing contest, dancing and a dog race, it unexpectedly drew crowds of 50,000 and the festival grew from there. Over the years, the international snow sculpture competition was added along with new venues and the move from two to eight days of festivities. Now approaching its 74th year, it is back to three busy venues following the disruption of COVID-19, reinvigorated and as popular as ever.

Sapporo Snow Festival, Hokkaido(Google Maps)

The main draw of the event is still the incredible selection of towering snow sculptures that line the venues, some reaching up to 15 meter tall. All carefully designed and hand-finished, the sculptures follow themes and are a combination of professional and community efforts. Previous winners of the international competition have included Thailand’s monument to endangered sea turtles, Macau’s beautiful rendition of a crane dance and Canada’s impressive walrus battle. The community offerings often select favorite personalities or characters, with the Toy Story cast making an appearance as well as top baseball stars.

Visitors can stroll through the Odori, Tsudome and Susukino venues, with local food stalls, light displays and evening illuminations. Viewed from the iconic Sapporo TV Tower, the snowy scenes below are truly beautiful. For those wishing to enjoy the snow themselves, the Tsudome site offers slides, snow rafts and even more sculptures. Heading a little further out to the Otaru Snow Light Path Festival is a great bonus, and a chance to escape the crowds for some canal-side strolls.

Soup Curry

After a day of snowball fights and tower-climbing, visitors can make the most of the city’s famous winter foods. Hokkaido has a reputation for incredible seafood and the capital is known for warming winter dishes alongside its more famous alcoholic specialties. A popular option is a nourishing bowl of miso ramen topped with butter and corn, or a vegetable-packed soup curry to restore your energy. Paired with some Nikka whiskey or a pint of Sapporo beer, it’s a fitting end to a fantastic snow-filled few days.

For more details, contact DMC Japan to discuss ideas, locations and rates.
Contact Us