Hokkaido Official Tourism Site HOKKAIDO LOVE!

The Sapporo Snow Festival, a winter feature of Hokkaido held every year in early February, is a very popular winter event that attracts more than 2.5 million people from home and abroad every year.

A small and medium-sized snow statue, a civic snow statue, and a winter attraction will be held around five snow statues, which are symbols of the Sapporo Snow Festival.

Period: 8 days from Tuesday, February 4 to Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Venue: Odori Venue (Odori Nishi 1-7 Chome, Chuo Ward, Sapporo) and others

Lake Shikotsu is famous for its deep blue surface, called “Lake Shikotsu Blue,” which is one of the highest quality and clearest lakes in Japan. The Chitose Lake Shikotsu Hyobaku Festival is held at Lake Shikotsu and is lined with ice sculptures of various sizes made of frozen lake water sprayed by sprinklers.

The ice sculptures are displayed in a simple way to enjoy their beauty under the concept of “ice museum.” During the day, they glow in natural blue, and at night they are illuminated by colorful lights, creating a fantastic world that changes with the passage of time. There are hot springs of different qualities in the vicinity of the venue, where you can warm your body after being chilled by the event.

North Snowland in Chitose, a winter leisure spot in Chitose, will be specially opened as a collaboration venue for the Hyobaku Festival! Visitors can enjoy unique snow activities such as tube slides, ATVs, the very popular snow rafting, and mini snowmobiles (some items are charged).

*Entrance to both the main venue and the linked venues may be restricted depending on how crowded they are.

Period: February 1 (Sat) - 24 (Mon), 2025 (planned)

Venue: Shikotsuko Onsen, Chitose City

This is a popular winter event in Otaru, where the romantic snow-covered streets of Otaru are lit by flickering candles, creating a gentle atmosphere. At the main canal site, the strolling paths are decorated with handmade snow sculptures and the surface of the canal is illuminated by candlelight, creating a fantastic atmosphere.

Period: February 8 (Sat) - 15 (Sat), 2025

Venues: Otaru City, canal venues, etc.

"Hoshi no yume" is a fantastic light that can only be seen in winter at the Goryeo Kaku Historic Site, a special historical site that features star shapes. The 1.8 km perimeter of the moat is decorated with about 2,000 light bulbs, creating a beautiful star shape in the pure white snow and darkness of the night, creating a spectacular sight only seen at this time of the year. We recommend the view (additional fee) from the Goryeo Kaku Tower Observatory. The stars are blue right after sunset and black at night. .... Make sure to check out the stars on the ground, which change shape depending on the time of day.

Period:December 1, 2024 (Sun) - February 28, 2025 (Fri)

Venue: Goryokaku Park, Goryokaku Tower, 44 Goryokaku-cho, Hakodate

The Sounkyo Ice Fall Festival, one of the three major snowfall festivals in Hokkaido, is an annual event held from late January to late March in Sounkyo Onsen, about an hour drive from Asahikawa.

The 10,000㎡ venue, located on the banks of the Ishikari River, features a variety of ice formations created by naturally freezing sprayed water. At night, the area is lit up and decorated with mysterious lights.

Period: January 25 (Sat) - March 9 (Sun), 2025

Venue：Kamikawa Sounkyo Onsen (special venue)

The phantom village of "Shiribetsu Lake Kotan" appears on the frozen lake for only 60 days. Kotan means "village" in Ainu.

All Kotan buildings are made of lake ice and snow. You can enjoy drinking with ice glasses at an ice bar, cheering with snowmobiles and snow rafting, and experiences that can be done only in extremely cold places.

Also, "ice open-air bath" is a hot spot that cannot be removed with a kotan, and the open-air bath, which overlooks the world of white snow and ice all over, is a special feature of this place.

And at night, the sky is full of stars! A moment in the fantastic world of snow and ice, "Shibetsu Lake Kotan," will be an unforgettable moment of emotion.

■Period: Saturday, January 25, 2025 - Sunday, March 16, 2025

■ Venue: Lake Shiribetsu, Shikaoi-cho

On the night of Tokachi-gawa Onsen, which freezes below zero, "Sairinka" is a fantastic world directed by snow, sound and countless objects of light, and when you stand at the venue, you can feel the fantastic feeling of wandering into another world." It is a contest between sound and light that can only be felt by visitors to the area where the air is clear, which cannot be seen from photos and images. This winter, why don't you get intoxicated by the fantastic show that you can only experience at Tokachi-gawa Onsen at night?

■Period: Saturday, January 25, 2025 - Sunday, February 16, 2025

■Venue: Tokachi-gaoka Park, 14th Street north of Tokachi-gawa Onsen, Otofuke