[From Kansai] 2025 Sapporo Snow Tour/Travel Specials & Snow Festival Information

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＼Event period: Scheduled from Feb. 4th (Tuesday) to 11th (Tuesday, national holiday), 2025／

Odori venue

West 1st Street to West 11th Street

Susukino Venue

Station front street from Minami 4-jo to Minami 6-jo

Tsudome venue

Tsudome (885-1 Sakaemachi, Higashi Ward)

*The content may be changed or canceled due to weather or unavoidable reasons on the part of the organizers.

Recommended by our staff
Special tour of the large snow sculptures at the Sapporo Snow Festival before the event begins
空から眺める流氷とさっぽろ雪まつりへの旅
Accommodation in Sapporo and enjoy a leisurely stroll around the Snow Festival!
Tours with weekend departures
Other recommended Snow Festival tours
Royal Grand Stage Shiki-no-Hana: Premium Travel Experience
Solo-Only Travel
What is the Sapporo Snow Festival?
Sapporo Snow Festival Venue and How to Enjoy It
Sapporo Snow Festival Venue Information
Q&A Frequently Asked Questions

Tours recommended by our staff

Club Tourism special project!
Special tour of the large snow sculptures at the Sapporo Snow Festival before the event begins

Large snow sculpture under construction (last year's Image)

Tomonari Yoshikawa, Chief of the Snow Sculpture Battalion

<Comment from Tomonari Yoshikawa, head of the large snow sculpture production team at the Sapporo Snow Festival Main Street 10th Street venue>

The large snow sculptures are the main attraction of the Sapporo Snow Festival. This will be your chance to see how they are made up close. Of course, seeing the completed snow sculptures is an attraction, but you should also take this opportunity to see the backside of the sculptures, which you normally can't see. On the day, I may even give a talk about the snow sculptures. I look forward to your participation.

空から眺める流氷とさっぽろ雪まつりへの旅

Accommodation in Sapporo and enjoy a leisurely stroll around the Snow Festival!

Easy to participate!

Tours with weekend departures

Other recommended Snow Festival tours

Club Tourism's top-class Domestic Travel

Royal Grand Stage Shiki-no-Hana: Premium Travel Experience Recommended Tours

What is Royal Grand Stage Shiki-no-Hana: Premium Travel Experience?

Solo-Only Travel

What is Solo-Only Travel?

What is the Sapporo Snow Festival?

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The Sapporo Snow Festival is a winter event and festival that represents Hokkaido, which began in 1950 when local students erected six snow sculptures in Odori Park.
In 1983, the Susukino venue opened with its beautiful neon-lit ice sculptures, and in 2013 projection mapping was introduced as a popular program.
At the 74th event held last year, the Tsudome venue was reopened for the first time in four years, and food and drink booths were set up for the first time in four years, allowing visitors to enjoy gourmet food while admiring the snow sculptures. Approximately 2.38 million tourists from Japan and abroad gathered for the event, making it one of Hokkaido 's largest events and a huge success.

Introducing the process of creating the large snow sculptures at the Sapporo Snow Festival

The Sapporo Snow Festival starts with a prayer for the safety of the spectators. First, snow is piled up with a large crane. The large piles of snow are carved out to create molds for the snow sculptures. Finally, decorative snow is applied to the entire snow sculpture. Then it is complete.

What is cosmetic snow?

The snow sculptures at the Sapporo Snow Festival are made from two types of snow: base snow and cosmetic snow.
While base snow makes up the majority of the base and body of a snow sculpture, cosmetic snow is used as the finishing touch.
The snow we use has few impurities, fine crystals, and is light and smooth.
This snow is mixed with water and kneaded to make a sorbet-like consistency, which is then kneaded into snow sculptures in the same way as makeup.
Not only can you enjoy the impressive snow sculptures themselves, but you can also learn about the behind-the-scenes process of how they are made, allowing you to enjoy appreciating them from a slightly different angle than before.

Sapporo Snow Festival Venue and How to Enjoy It

The Sapporo Snow Festival is a major winter event in Sapporo. It has three venues, each with its own unique theme, including snow and ice sculptures and giant slides.

Odori Venue: Tuesday, Feb. 4th, 2025 to Tuesday, February 11th (National Holiday) (Itinerary)

The main venue where you can enjoy the iconic large snow sculptures

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In addition to the large snow sculptures that you should see at least once, small and medium-sized snow sculptures and snow sculptures made by local residents Itinerary also be on display. You will definitely be overwhelmed by the power of the large snow sculptures during daylight hours! If Accommodation at a hotel within walking distance of the main venue, you can enjoy it leisurely in the morning when there are fewer people around.

Chome	Contents
1st Street	Winter attractions etc.
2nd Street	Small snow sculptures, etc.
3rd Street	Skating rink etc.
4th Street	Large Snow Sculpture
5th Street	Large Snow Sculpture
6th Street	Small and medium-sized snow sculptures
7th Street	Large Snow Sculpture
8th Street	Large Snow Sculpture
9th Street	Small and medium-sized snow sculptures
10th Street	Large Snow Sculpture
11th Street	International Snow Sculpture Competition, etc.

Susukino Venue: Tuesday, Feb. 4th, 2025 to Tuesday, February 11th, 2025 (Itinerary)

The atmosphere is different from the main venue, and various ice sculptures are lined up under the theme of "enjoying and touching ice." We recommend visiting Susukino at night when it is lit up. The lights of Hokkaido 's largest neon town shine brightly, and the contrast between the sparkle of the ice and the night creates a beautiful and fantastical world.
The lights at the Susukino venue are usually turned off at 23:00. (They are Itinerary to be turned off at 22:00 on the final day, Tuesday, Feb. 11th (national holiday).)

*Source: Hokkaido Tourism Organization

Tsudome Venue: Feb. 4th (Tue) - 11th (Tue, holiday), 2025, 10:00-16:00 Itinerary)

The "Tsudome Venue" is popular for its slides and snow rafts that parents and children can enjoy together. The indoor space also has gourmet booths, rest areas, and attractions for children to play on.

Depending on the level of congestion, the reception hours for some attractions may close earlier than usual.

Projection mapping onto snow sculptures

The main venue is also lit up at night.
The much talked about projection mapping, in which images are projected onto illuminated snow sculptures, has been held since 2013 and is Itinerary to take place again this year in the evenings during the period.
We also recommend a visit to the Sapporo TV Tower, a symbol of Sapporo, where you can see a fantastic illuminated view.
During this season, the sun sets between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m., so be sure to time your visit accordingly to enjoy the spectacular night view.

You can easily visit the Sapporo Snow Festival venue without having to worry about snowy roads!

The Sapporo Ekimae-dori Underground Pedestrian Walkway opened in Mar. 2011.
The area around Sapporo Station and the Odori and Susukino districts are now connected underground.
Now that it has opened in the snow-covered center of Sapporo, you can travel comfortably to the Odori venue.

Sapporo Snow Festival Venue Information

Sapporo Snow Festival Venue Area Information

Accommodation information

*This is information for some hotels.

New Otani Inn Sapporo

New Otani Inn Sapporo (Exterior/ Image)

The hotel is about an 8-minute walk from JR Sapporo Station and about a 1-minute walk from Exit 22 of Sapporo Subway Station via an underground passage directly connected to JR Sapporo Station, making it highly convenient for a variety of situations.

Sapporo Tokyu REI Hotel

Sapporo Tokyu REI Hotel (exterior/ Image)

It is about a 10-minute drive to Odori Park and the TV tower, and about a 3-minute walk to Susukino. The guest rooms are unified with a chic atmosphere and equipped with highly functional facilities, allowing you to spend a comfortable time.

the b sapporo

the b Sapporo (exterior/ Image)

Located approximately an 8-minute walk from Sapporo Odori Park and a 3-minute walk from Susukino Station, the hotel features a design that embodies Sapporo's distinctive style of harmony between the city and nature.

Sapporo Prince Hotel

Sapporo Prince Hotel (exterior/ Image)

It is about a 3-minute walk to Sapporo Odori Park and about a 15-minute walk to Susukino. Despite being located in the center of the city, it offers a 360-degree panoramic view of Sapporo and also has an open-air hot spring bath exclusively for Accommodation.

Tourist spots in Sapporo

Sapporo White Illumination

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Sapporo White Illumination has become a seasonal feature that colors Sapporo in winter. The trees are decorated and sparkle beautifully at Sapporo Ekimae-dori, Kita 3-jo Square (Akapla) and the south exit of Sapporo Station to the north and south, and Minami 1-jo-dori to the east and west.

Maruyama Zoo

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It opened as Hokkaido 's first zoo in 1951. New facilities are being built one after another, with the Polar Bear House opening in Mar. 2018 and the Elephant House opening in Mar. 2019.

Sapporo City Clock Tower

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The clock tower (official name is the Former Sapporo Agricultural College Drill Hall) is a beloved symbol of Sapporo. It is especially recommended to visit on a winter night. The clock tower shining in the pure white snow is definitely worth a visit.

Sapporo Beer Museum

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The brick building is designated as a Hokkaido Heritage Site, and you can experience the history of Hokkaido 's development as well as the passion of our forefathers who poured their hearts into brewing Japanese beer.

Sapporo TV Tower

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From the observation deck about 90 meters above ground, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery and events of Odori Park, which change with the seasons, and if the weather is good, you can also see the Ishikari Plain and the Sea of Japan.

Shiroi Koibito Park

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You can enjoy a tour of the manufacturing process of "Shiroi Koibito," a famous sweet that represents Sapporo, as well as a sweets-making experience (fee required). There are also contents where you can learn about the history of chocolate, and a cafe where you can taste ISHIYA's original sweets.

Q&A Frequently Asked Questions

: Feb. is the coldest month of the year, but temperatures are rising year by year. The average temperature in Feb. 2022 is -2.2°C, the average temperature in Feb. 2023 is -2.7°C, and the average temperature Feb. 2024 is -1.9°C. (According to the Japan Meteorological Agency)

The scale of snow and ice sculptures is roughly classified as follows:

Large snow and ice sculpture...About 15m high, about 500 5-ton truck loads of snow
Medium-sized snow and ice sculpture: Approximately 10m high, with approximately 300 5-ton truck loads of snow
Small snow and ice sculpture...about 2m high, about two 5-ton truck loads of snow

: The roads are often frozen, so it is difficult to walk on them unless you are wearing winter shoes with grooves on the soles.
If your shoes do not have such a sole, it is a good idea to purchase and use "ice bands" (anti-slip pads) that can be worn over your shoes.

: Since you will be walking outside for a long time, it is appropriate to wear three layers: a shirt, a sweater, and a coat.
It is best to wear an overcoat or something more serious like a ski jacket. A thin coat will be too cold.
You will also need a hat, earmuffs and gloves.

: The Odori site will be lit up until around 10pm. At the Susukino site, the ice sculptures lining the main street will be lit up until 11pm (10pm on the final day).

: The transportation to each venue is as follows:
Odori Venue: Take the Namboku, Tozai, or Toho subway lines to Odori Station
Susukino Venue: Immediately after getting off at Susukino Station on the Namboku Subway Line
Tsudome Venue: 15 minutes on foot from Sakaemachi Station on the Toho Line
A shuttle bus will run from Sakaemachi Station to the venue. *Please check the official website for the operating schedule.

: We offer a variety of tours with Accommodation at hotels, including hotels around Sapporo Station and hotels within walking distance of Susukino.