Roundup of Things You Might Want to Try While Sightseeing in Sapporo in Winter

(Source: Welcome to Sapparo)

Here are some recommendations for winter sightseeing in Sapporo

In response to those who have asked “What are your recommendations for winter sightseeing in Sapporo?”, here we introduce ways to enjoy winter in and around Sapporo city. With activities such as having fun playing in the snow with your children, trying your hand at Winter Olympic events, a day trip to a hot spring, and even staying at Hokkaido’s first ever ice hotel, you may have a hard time deciding what you want to do. Which one would you like to try?

1　Snowman making and snowball fights in the park

2　Midwinter days are the perfect weather for festivals

3　Go skiing and snowboarding without brining any equipment

4　Try the Winter Olympic events of curling and luge

5　Smelt ice fishing even beginners can try

6　Simulated experience of the star events of the Winter Olympics

7　A hot spring is recommended for warming up your body

8　Nature observation while rambling through the snow

Winter preparedness

Despite being a large city, home to some 1.9 million people, snowfall in Sapporo averages about six meters annually. There is a secret to enjoying winter while dealing with the cold and snow. Before planning your winter sightseeing in Sapporo, you should read "Ten pieces of advice on winter trip to Sapporo, clothing and footwear" and learn the secrets to getting around smoothly and walking without slipping, etc.

Ten pieces of advice on winter trip to Sapporo, clothing and footwear

Snowman making and snowball fights in the park

Sapporo resident and tourists alike get carried away with making snowmen and having snowball fights. Even in town, if you go to a wide open space such as Odori Park or Nakajima Park, you can join in a snowball fight with the people around you without hesitation. In the park, there are plenty of tree branches and nuts, which you can use to create the facial expression of your snowman. By all means, build your own snowman next to one that someone else has made.

Everyone loves playing in the snow in Sapporo, including children, adults, and tourists!

Midwinter days are the perfect weather for festivals

From late January to early February, where midwinter days with the highest temperatures below 0°C continue, Hokkaido is bustling with snow and ice festivals. In addition to Sapporo's classic winter attraction, the "Sapporo Snow Festival", there is the "Chitose and Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival" in Shikotsu hot springs, located in a national park a 40-minute drive from Sapporo, and in the port town of Otaru, 45 minutes by train from Sapporo, is the "Otaru Snow Light Path", where the streets are decorated with a myriad of snow candles. Enjoy the imposing, giant snow sculptures and the dreamlike, illuminated scenery.

Sapporo Snow Festival / Chitose and Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival / Otaru Snow Light Path

Go skiing and snowboarding without brining any equipment

In Sapporo, there are many skiing areas located 20 to 60 minutes by car away from the city center. All ski areas are guaranteed excellent snow conditions. There is a variety of courses, from beginner to intermediate and advanced, and extensive ski equipment and ski-wear rental services are also available. Going down the slopes on tubes or sleds is recommended for small children and the inexperienced. In Sapporo, it is possible to have a schedule of winter sports in the morning and sightseeing in town in the afternoon.

Even tourists can take a day trip to ski resorts in Sapporo city and enjoy themselves

Try the Winter Olympic events of curling and luge

Luge is a winter sports where you slide down the ice course at great speed, lying face up on a sled, and curling is where you slide heavy stones to hit the mark down a 40m course on flat ice. At Fu's Snow Area, one of only two luge practice courses in Japan, there are luge classes held in January and February that anyone of elementary school-age and older can join. Japan's first dedicated curling facility, Hokkaido Bank Curling Stadium, continuously runs curling experience programs for groups. You can apply for both by telephone.

Fu's Snow Area / Hokkaido Bank Curling Stadium

Smelt ice fishing even beginners can try. Enjoy tempura with the fish you catch

Simulated experience of the star events of the Winter Olympics

At the Sapporo Winter Sports Museum, located at the foot of the Winter Olympics venue, Okurayama Jump Stadium, hands-on activities such as ski jumping, ice hockey, figure skating, and cross-country skiing, are popular. You can have a simulated experience of the athletes' world. If you watch the ski jumping at the Okurayama Jump Stadium afterwards, it is enjoyable because your view of the sport will be completely changed.

A hot spring is recommended for warming up your body

There are many hot spring facilities in and around Sapporo where you can bathe in the hot spring just for the day. Super sento bathhouses, which are increasing in number in Sapporo, are popular as everyday bath facilities because you can enjoy many kinds of baths there, such as open-air baths and electric baths. In addition, located less than an hour's drive from the city, are Jozankei hot springs, Shikotsu hot springs and Asarigawa hot springs. Private baths are popular with families and tourists from overseas.

Day-trip sightseeing and bathing in the suburbs of Sapporo / Jozankei hot springs / Koganeyu Hot Springs

Nature observation while rambling through the snow

In large parks in Sapporo such as Takino Suzuran Hillside National Park, you can rent snow shoes, which enable you to walk on deep snow without sinking, and cross-country skis, also known as walking skis. Enjoy views unique to winter, such as the animal footprints that remain on the snowy fields, and get a taste of the joy of walking on snow. We recommend observing nature on horseback at the "Wild Mustangs" horse riding facility at the foot of Mount Hakkenzan.

Takino Suzuran Hillside Park Snow World / Wild Mustangs