Winter in Hokkaido 2024: Everything You Need To Know

Please note that rules may vary slightly at select events due to local laws and ordinances. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the rules published in the event athlete information guide prior to race day. For a more immersive experience, Shiretoko offers activities like walking on the ice floes in a dry suit, swimming in nearby waters or even ice diving beneath the ice. A highlight of the event is the Negai-no-akari, where participants make a wish on a candle before carrying it to a snow tower without letting the flame extinguish.

They are available at major car rental companies and only can be bought by foreigners with a “temporary visitor” status or Japanese citizens with permanent residence overseas. Once purchased, you are given an ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) card which is automatically scanned at every ETC toll gate. Note that there are no expressways going to Hokkaido’s eastern and northern areas such as Kushiro, Shiretoko, and Wakkanai. Hokkaido continues to represent the untamed wilderness with many great national parks. For many visitors the scenery resembles northern Europe, with rice paddies and concrete warrens typical of the rest of Japan replaced by rolling fields and faux-German cottages. Sapporo’s Chitose Airport (CTS IATA) is Hokkaido’s sole international gateway of significance, with flights from Hong Kong, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Shanghai, Beijing, Honolulu, Seoul and Busan.

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Instead, there are four circuits (道 dō), which are in turn split into subprefectures (支庁 shichō). Hitchhiking is a viable option in Hokkaido, and due to the limitations of the public transport network it’s not unheard-of to see Japanese with their thumb out (a very rare sight in the rest of the country). The Seikan Tunnel, the world’s second longest rail tunnel, is the only land link that Hokkaido has to Japan’s main island of Honshu.

For a room charge per night at 50,000 yen or above, they will be required to pay 500 yen. With around 20 local governments in Hokkaido, including the prefectural capital Sapporo, preparing to implement their own accommodation taxes, lodgers at hotels and inns will face double taxation. February is particularly popular due to events like the Sapporo Snow Festival and the Otaru Snow Light Path Festival. Local residents also enhance the festive spirit by displaying lanterns outside their shops and homes. Most venues, except for the ropeway-accessible Tenguyama, are within walking distance from the train station.

In addition, there are a few international flights (mostly from Seoul and Taipei) to both Asahikawa and Hakodate. Very little sand or salt is used on the roads, and the heavy snow in many areas means that the roadways turn into packed snow, then solid ice. If you have never driven in the winter, do not attempt to learn here.

​For and Hillion Mall, prices are inclusive of GST and no service charge. For Changi Airport Terminal 3, Paya Lebar Quarter and Suntec City, prices stated are subject to service charge and GST. Hokkaido is well-known for its delicious and high-quality dairy products. Processed items like butter, cheese and ice cream are also specialties of Hokkaido.

What is the best time to visit Hokkaido in winter?

In particular, the southwest coast can be surprisingly cold, due to the ocean currents. Ever had cream cheese in your curry, or butter in your noodle soup? Hokkaido is volcanically active and has countless hot springs, with Noboribetsu particularly famous.

Most ski resorts are conveniently located within 2 hours of the main airports, including New Chitose, Asahikawa and Obihiro. Base cities like Sapporo and Asahikawa are also accessible, typically just an hour away by car or shuttle bus from popular resorts. The northern portion of Hokkaidō falls into the taiga biome62 with significant snowfall.

Head-on collisions at these speeds, especially with minicars, are catastrophic. There are many bike paths and most main roads have very wide sidewalks. Also there are many beautiful back roads to get you where you want to go. Information in English is very limited, the best way is to buy a good map and plan by yourself.

Rail pass for Tokyo to Hokkaido

People in the Tokyo area especially may have noticed a recent influx in Hokkaido food fairs over the past year. These events, held within department stores, give Hokkaido’s local food producers a chance to sell their wares in other markets around the country with a particular focus on the metropolis of Tokyo. Early February is the ideal time to experience the Sapporo Snow Festival, which began in 1950 with six snow sculptures made by local students. Now the largest winter event in Sapporo, it attracts over two million visitors annually. In fact, it’s winter that has built Hokkaido’s reputation as Japan’s snow paradise.

1. In fact, it’s winter that has built Hokkaido’s reputation as Japan’s snow paradise.
2. It is available only to foreigners visiting Japan with a “Temporary Visitor” status in their passports.
3. Hokkaido’s mild summers provide relief from Japan’s humidity, and the perfect conditions for hiking and exploring the many National Parks.
4. In winter, the same snow that makes the island a ski haven can also mean dangerous driving conditions, and speed limits drop even lower.
5. Due to its vast size and numerous outlying islands, Hokkaido has a fairly well-developed commuter airline network.
6. For many visitors the scenery resembles northern Europe, with rice paddies and concrete warrens typical of the rest of Japan replaced by rolling fields and faux-German cottages.
7. So, attaching your department store with the popular Hokkaido name has its benefits even if it isn’t profitable.

SEAMLESS BOOKING AND PAYMENT

Hokkaido (�k�C��, Hokkaidō) is the second largest, northernmost and least developed of Japan’s four main islands. Its weather is harsh in winter with lots of snowfall, below zero temperatures and frozen seas, while in summer it does not get as hot and humid as in the other parts of the country. Hokkaido is a popular destination for skiing and snowboarding in winter, thanks to its abundant powder snow and top resorts like Niseko, Rusutsu and Furano. Sapporo, Hokkaido’s main city, famous for Sapporo beer, Sapporo ramen and the annual Sapporo Snow Festival. Hakodate is a traditional port with charming historical areas and gorgeous night views. Hokkaido’s mild summers provide relief from Japan’s humidity, and the perfect conditions for hiking and exploring the many National Parks.

Both restaurant styles will have almost all of our main traditional ramens and many of the same popular appetizers as well as a nice boba/bubble/galaxy tea selection. The Ramen & Sushi Bar locations will be larger with more dine-in space and will also include a sushi bar as well as a beer, wine, and sake bar. The Ramen House will have a more limited but still incredible menu to choose from. Both restaurants will have the same recipes and the same positive vibe and a fresh, open, and unique Hokkaido-style dining room. We pride ourselves on the accuracy and consistency of our orders too, no one wants to feel like Joe Pesci in Lethal Weapon 2 after picking up their takeout, we’ve got your back.

Serious Japanese settlement of the island began in 1869, when the territory, which was then called Yezo province, was renamed Hokkaido (“North Sea Province”). Most Ainu subsequently were assimilated under the growing Japanese presence, but small numbers of people of Ainu descent have retained their Ainu identity, primarily in northern Hokkaido. Hokkaidō became equal with other prefectures in 1947, when the revised Local Autonomy Act became effective. The Japanese central government established the Hokkaidō Development Agency (北海道開発庁, Hokkaidō Kaihatsuchō) as an agency of the Prime Minister’s Office in 1949 to maintain its executive power in Hokkaidō. The agency was absorbed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in 2001. The Hokkaidō Bureau (北海道局, Hokkaidō-kyoku) and the Hokkaidō Regional Development Bureau (北海道開発局, Hokkaidō Kaihatsukyoku) of the ministry still have a strong influence hokkaidu on public construction projects in Hokkaidō.

1. In particular, the southwest coast can be surprisingly cold, due to the ocean currents.
2. Hitchhiking is a viable option in Hokkaido, and due to the limitations of the public transport network it’s not unheard of to see Japanese with their thumb out (a very rare sight in the rest of the country).
3. Hokkaido has some of the best powder in the world and skiing has really taken off, with resorts like Niseko and Furano drawing visitors from far and wide.
4. During this season, top ski resorts prepare their piste with groomed trails, and snowboarders and skiers from around the globe come to experience its world-class snow.
5. Hokkaido continues to represent the untamed wilderness with many great national parks.

Another pass for those who would like to see the Tohoku region as well as southern Hokkaido is the South Hokkaido Rail Pass 3 from JR East that costs ¥26,000 for adults if bought outside of Japan (¥27,000 inside Japan). It covers Sapporo, Chitose Airport, and all rail stations west of it. Hokkaidō (北海道) 1 is the northernmost of Japan’s four main islands. Hokkaido is among the few places in Japan where renting a car is worthwhile, since access to many national parks and onsen resorts without one can be quite difficult. However, speed limits are low, with many expressways capped at km/h and even the straight, wide and flat highways of Tokachi limited to a poky 50 km/h. Speeding is thus quite common, but so are speed traps and heavy fines.