Using Lake Akan (Akan-ko) as a stage, you can have the unique experience of the winter ice-cutting event. Another attraction is the Ice Fireworks Festival.
This is a world-famous winter tradition in Sapporo. In O-dori Park in the city centre, world-famous buildings, historical Japanese monuments, and anime characters are created as huge snow statues. In the evenings, the frozen snow statues are illuminated, and the scene takes on a more romantic air.
The Ohkotsk Sea is the northernmost sea of Japan. From the latter part of January to the end of March, ice floes travel along the seacoast. This time is famous for the icebreaker Aurora, departing from Abashiri; this ship is the first such vessel in the world to be used for tourism. Another such vessel is the Galinco II which departs from Monbetsu, and cleaves a path through the ice-filled waters as it crushes the ice ahead.
Located in southwest Hokkaido, the town of Matsumae is the only town in the prefecture with its own castle. Near Matsumae Castle is Matsumae Park in which approximately 250 varieties of cherry trees numbering 10,000 are planted. The festival is timed to open with the blossoming of the cherries. During the festival, there are plenty of colourful events such as a parade of warrior armies, a product fair, a local talent show and floats.
The highlight of this festival is the Restoration Parade in which participants in the guise of the new Meiji Restoration army and the old Tokugawa Shogunate army march through the streets.
Toshizo Hijikata, the deputy resistance leader against the Meiji Restoration and a ladykiller amongst the young women of his day, also appears. This highlight provides an illustrated history which includes 200 citizens as participants. A commemorative flower ceremony is also held for the old Shogunate war dead at Hekketsuhi and at Toshizo Hijikata’s final resting place.
Around the time of the blossoming of the lilacs which herald the beginning of summer, Sapporo also heralds the true start of the tourist season. And during the time when the pretty lilacs bloom in purple and white, colourful events such as music festivals and the giving away of seedlings are held in O-dori Park.
A new festival which combines the Yosakoi Festival of Kochi Prefecture which started in 1992 and the Hokkaido folk tradition of Soran Bushi, more than 300 teams annually dance en masse.
The town of Naka-furano truly provides the Hokkaido-esque landscape of a sea of lavender. The collaboration of the illuminated lavender fields and the perfectly blossoming fireworks is splendid.
The Hakodate Harbour Festival is the largest festival in Hakodate. The Hakodate Harbour Opening Parade starts things off in style with the evening showing off 10,000 fireworks over Hakodate Harbour clearly lighting up the sky. During the festival, there are various other events in the city.
The Daisetsuzan Autumn Colours are located in the middle of the roads and have been called the earliest sign of Fall in Japan. The leaves start changing at the beginning of September and reach the height of their colours sometime from mid to late September.
Even at Jozankei Hot Springs which are located around 1 hour from downtown Sapporo, the leaves turn colour from late September and hit their peak in mid-October.
This festival begins annually on the first Sunday of October and is representative of the events in the town of Ikeda. You can enjoy an all-you-can-drink event with Tokachi wine and grape juice, along with charcoal-grilled Do-san beef and roast beef from Ikeda.
Approximately 400,000 bright white lights are wrapped all over O-dori Park, Ekimae Avenue, and Minami Ichijo Avenue, and are fantastically lit up. The beauty of the illumination in O-dori Park is that when the temperatures drop, the reflection of the snow changes and the glitter becomes even more beautiful. The illumination on Ekimae Avenue adorns the area for a span as long as 1.2 km.
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of its sister-city relationship with Munich, Germany, Sapporo first launched this event in 2002.
In Germany just before Christmas, stalls selling tree decorations and candy are set up. Spiced mulled wine (hot wine) is drunk to warm the body. Christians buying Xmas goods at “Toshi no Ichi” is one of the traditional events. Sapporo’s Christmas Market is similar to the one held in Munich.
