Best Things to Do in Hokkaido in Winter

Planning a winter trip to Hokkaido? Watch this video for personal recommendations on what to see and do. Discover the ultimate winter wonderland in Japan as we explore Hokkaido’s breathtaking landscapes and unique activities that make it a top destination for winter enthusiasts. From the world-renowned Sapporo Snow Festival, showcasing stunning ice sculptures and snow art, to the serene beauty of the Blue Pond in Biei, illuminated in a magical winter glow, every moment in Hokkaido is a blend of awe and adventure.

00:00 Intro
00:48 Winter Festivals
03:41 Activities
06:35 Sights
07:43 Winter in Hokkaido Series

**🔖 MENTIONED IN THE VIDEO**
(Includes affiliate links)

WINTER FESTIVALS
Sapporo Snow Festival https://tokyopast3.com/sapporo-snow-festival/
Lake Shkotsu Ice Festival https://tokyopast3.com/icy-splendor-making-memories-at-the-lake-shikotsu-ice-festival/
Sounkyo Ice Fall Festival https://tokyopast3.com/hokkaido-sounkyo/
Drift Ice Cruise & Sounkyo Festival Tours: https://affiliate.klook.com/redirect?aid=32483&aff_adid=670937&k_site=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.klook.com%2Fsearch%2Fresult%2F%3Fquery%3Dsounkyo
Otaru Snow Light Path https://www.sapporo.travel/en/event/event-list/otaru-snow-light-path/
Shikaribetsu Kotan https://kotan.jp/en/introduction/

ACTIVITIES
Drift Ice Cruises https://affiliate.klook.com/redirect?aid=32483&aff_adid=791176&k_site=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.klook.com%2Fsearch%2Fresult%2F%3Fquery%3Dgarinko
Tokkari Center https://tokyopast3.com/hokkaido-tokkari-center/
Drift Ice Walk https://affiliate.klook.com/redirect?aid=32483&aff_adid=791176&k_site=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.klook.com%2Fsearch%2Fresult%2F%3Fquery%3Ddrift%2520ice%2520walk
Fat Bike Cycling @heroespark https://heroespark.info/
Ice Fishing https://affiliate.klook.com/redirect?aid=32483&aff_adid=791176&k_site=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.klook.com%2Fsearch%2Fresult%2F%3Fquery%3Dhokkaido%2520ice%2520fishing
Niseko https://nisekotourism.com/

SIGHTS

Blue Pond Biei https://affiliate.klook.com/redirect?aid=32483&aff_adid=791176&k_site=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.klook.com%2Fsearch%2Fresult%2F%3Fquery%3Dbiei%2520blue%2520pond
Otaru https://affiliate.klook.com/redirect?aid=32483&aff_adid=791176&k_site=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.klook.com%2Fsearch%2Fresult%2F%3Fquery%3Dotaru
Jewelry Ice https://en.visit-hokkaido.jp/destinations/otsu-coasts-jewelry-ice-natures-polished-gemstones

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📳 Japan Travel Essentials (Affiliate Links)
Pocket Wifi: https://www.japan-wireless.com/?via=tokyopast3
eSIM: https://www.japan-wireless.com/esim?via=tokyopast3
JR Pass: https://affiliate.klook.com/redirect?aid=32483&aff_adid=783869&k_site=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.klook.com%2Factivity%2F1420

🗼Tokyo Past 3
I write about travel and lifestyle in Japan on Tokyo Past 3. [https://tokyopast3.com](https://tokyopast3.com/)

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[Applause] visiting Hokkaido in Winter was one of the best travel experiences I’ve had this year so much so that it changed my perception whereas I used to think of winter as gray and gloomy I now associate it with fun and festivities and because it’s snow season again I

Want to share with you what I believe are the best things to do in Hokkaido in Winter my name is Melle you’re watching Tokyo pass 3 let’s make that dream vacation of yours Happen so for this video I divided the best things to do in Ido into three and that’s winter festivals activities or experiences and Sites the sapuro snow Festival is perhaps the biggest and most known among the winter festivals in Hokkaido it takes place around the first first to second week of February and is celebrated in three sites odori susukino and T the odori site is where the Giants no sculptures are displayed and these

Range from Grand palaces to popular anime characters the susukino site is where you can find ice sculptures and while they’re relatively smaller in size they are more interactive you can hop in a ice car and get your photo taken for example finally there’s the Toom site where you can find snow slides snow

Rafting and other activities oriented attractions because of covid prevention measures this wasn’t available when I went but things have come down since so I believe it’s going to be open again by next year next we have the lake shikotsu Ice Festival this one takes place in chitos where the Hokkaido airport is at

So you can easily fit it in your schedule after arriving or maybe before your departure flight held from late January to February the enchanting Festival showcases snow sculptures and Ice displays made from Lake shikotsu clear waters by day the sculptures display a natural Azure Hue known as

Shikotsu blue and by night they are illuminated with vibrant lights creating a luminous Winter Wonderland the festival offers a unique BL of natural Artistry and Local Charm with different themes and displays each year including interactive ice gapes and towering ice walls then we have the s k ice wall

Festival which is named after the Hot Spring Town it takes place in it’s a bit similar to the lake shotu Ice Festival in that it features interactive displays like snow towers that you can enter and ice sculptures that you can take photos with it’s a bit far from saoto but it is

Accessible by a bus tours I attended the festival as part of a bus tour but I do think that the best way to experience it is probably staying at one of the hot spring hotels in the area and just visiting the festival at night the next two festivals I will be mentioning are

Ones that I’ve person not been to but would love to check out the next time I get the chance one of those festivals is the otu snow light path I went to otu during my visit to Hokkaido earlier this year but I was too early for the

Festival so I missed it U as a historic pwn is already Charming as it is but the festival adds Sparkle to its nostalgic charm with snow lanterns and light displays lining the beautiful canal and finally we have the lake sharet tootan which celebrates winter with an ice vill

It features igloos ice bars and even a snow Chapel I think it would be really a freezing experience very uncomfortable but I’d still love to go now that we’re done talking about winter festivals let’s move on to activities and experiences yuio or Drift Ice is a natural phenomenon that in

Japan can only be seen in Hokkaido these are large masses of floating eyes that move with the currents sometimes you can also see wildlife at top these ice flows like red foxes and seals one of the ways to enjoy this spectacle is by boarding a cruise there are two main Drift Ice

Cruise ships in Hokkaido and that’s the AA which departs from abashi and the Ginko which set sale from mbetu I did ask locals which of the two ships give you a better opportunity of seeing drift eyes but the answer I got was that they’re both the same so the major

Differences are the locations and the sizes of the ships aora is significantly bigger which means it holds more passengers I chose the Ginko because it’s close to the toar center which is a facility designed to rehabilitate seals you may have noticed that I’m quite obsessed with them I don’t know they’re

Just really cute and they’re smart so I love seals other than Drift Ice cruises you will also find tour companies that offer Drift Ice walks this is something that I’ve personally not experienced but one of the tours that I saw which is linked down below will have you wear a

Dry suit and then you can walk on Ice flows and then also have the option to plunge in the water seems like a crazy idea but I don’t know I’m into it and then there’s Drift Ice cycling where you can ride a fat bike on the snow and zip

Along the coastline where you can see Drift Ice one of the places you can do this is in kitami city and if you’ve seen my kitami city video you’d know that I joined a cycling tour when I was there the same operator offers this drift eye cycling tour the name of the

Tour provider is hero spark and they kindly provided me with a video so that you can have an idea of what their tour is like all of their information is down below they have insta they have YouTube go check them out they’re definitely worth your time other than Drift Ice

Activities you also have the option to go ice fishing my experience is at the barata river in saporo and coming from a tropical country plus having no prior experience I appreciated that the tents and other equipment were all prepared beforehand so I just focus on the

Fishing part I screamed a lot because I wasn’t used to touching live fish but boy did I have fun and of course we can’t talk about winter activities without mentioning snow Sports so if skiing and snowboarding are the main focus of your winter trip then it’s best that you head

Too it’s known for its world class powder snow and you’ll find that many sports enthusiasts from all over the world visit Meo during this season beyond the slopes you’ll also find onen night life and in general a lively AA ski culture that caters to International visitors lastly let’s talk about sites

If you’re less into moving and more into enjoying spectacular sites then these are some of my recommendations the Blue pond in ba is a year-round attraction but I’d say that it looks the most mystical during winter the frozen pond surrounded by snow covered trees contrasts beautifully with the

Occasional hint of the ponds unique blue hue otaru as mentioned earlier is known for its retro nostalgic charm even if you visit outside Festival dates you’d still love walking along the canal as the snow crunches under your feet the Canal cruise runs in winter too so it’s

A great way to know more about the town as you leisurely enjoy the scenery in recent years something called jewelry ice has also been gaining popularity these are cluster of ice that break away from Ice clo and wash up on the shore apparently when they’re hit by

Sunlight they look like fine pieces of jewelry which is where they get their name from you can find them at otu beach in a small town called toyokoro and those are my recommendations all the places and activities I mentioned are listed down below now I know travel

Planning can be overwhelming so if you want to see an intinerary that you can model your trip after go watch my winter and hok kaida series and I’ll see you there this has been for choco pass 3 I’ll see you in the next video bye