Sapporo Snow Festival, A Must Visit Celebration in Sapporo, Japan
By: Gentur Ngudiharjo
Tags: Sapporo, Japan, Tourism, Festivals, Snow

Those who live in countries with four seasons are familiar with snow. But, what about people from tropical countries who never seen snow and really want to get the fun of it? Japan might have the answer to that.

Japan, is one of the most visited countries in the world. According to the World Economic Forum, Japan has ranked with the highest score together with Spain, France, and Germany as the most competitive country for tourism in 2019. In other words, Japan is one of the countries that would offer the best experience for tourists. Few big cities that most tourists knew Tokyo with infamous Shibuya Crossing, Osaka with its Glico Runningman Billboard, or even Kyoto with its mesmerizing ancient temple and culture. But, what about Sapporo? Have you heard about it before even going to Japan? Sapporo is one of the biggest city on Hokkaido Island, located on the west side, where Hokkaido University, the 4th most prestigious national college is located. This city is very well-known for its winter experience (well not just Sapporo but overall Hokkaido Island), but the main event which happens every year is Sapporo Snow Festival (Sapporo Yuki Matsuri).

So what is Sapporo Snow Festival? it is a festival of snow, which contains a lot of activities from ice sculpture competition, snowboarding, snow jet experience, and of course, culinary. The event is located in the main part of the city, Oodori Park, as well as Susukino Street which has easy access with their simple underground systems and close to each other.

What can we do at Sapporo Snow Festival? The festival started at the end of January and lasted for 5 consecutive days. Many activities you can do, one and the foremost is shopping. This festival has everything you need from merch, Hokkaido specialty foods, and even international foods that are sold here. I do remember one merch shop that has a very long queue line, and it was Hatsune Miku stand. Yes, it is affirmed my theory that the Japanese are very fond of their own culture and anime stuff. Not only for anime stuff, but many shops also offer accessories such as local handicrafts, international merch from Russia, and things from TV characters like Pokemon. It was varied and really hard to explain in detail here.

Now let’s talk about food. As I stated before, food is probably what most stands are all about. You can name it, you want Ramen? They have many. Sapporo Ramen, Tokyo Ramen, other regions ramen are all presented. My recommendation? try at least once of Sapporo Ramen, because that is what the city also infamous for. If you failed to have one in Sapporo Snow Fest, Sapporo has this thing called “Sapporo Ramen Alley”, which is located 5–10 minutes walk from Oodori Park and you can have the authentic Sapporo Ramen, and why is it different from the other regions specialty. Not only ramen, but some of the stands (shops) also sell unique Hokkaido Specialty. Want to try deer sausage? or whale meat? they have it there. What about the drinks? of course nothing better than Sapporo Beer in cold winter, just another thing that Sapporo also famous for. Overall, the foods and drinks are something you more likely to experience.

Enough with the culinary, let’s talk about other activities like the snowboarding competition. This is a competition in which snowboarders would slide from 20 meters high and perform jibbing at the tip of the slide. The next thing you want to do is ice skating. Oodori Park has a medium-scale ice skating ring for everyone. The cost? Not very expensive, around 500 yen for 1 hour. If you decided to visit Susukino Street, then you will find numerous ice sculptures standing along the street. Where are they come from? turns out it is part of a competition as well. You will find it unique and it is really tempting to take a selfie together. The last one, if you can stay long enough outside amid the cold weather, you will see a ceremony, with very traditional Shinto practices. It is very captivating especially if you are really interested in Japanese culture.

Many things you could do at Sapporo Snow Festival. Just make sure you wear your warm jacket and be ready for new things that could take your interest, as well as be prepared with your pocket. It is not really a journey if you did not buy something from it, right? And you can find more about Sapporo Snow Festival on https://www.snowfes.com/english/. Have a good journey!