Sapporo Snow Festival had always been in my bucket list since I was 6 years old when I read an article about that with many pictures of snow statues… and finally this year, I was able to visit Sapporo for that!
But it was during the preparation days, not during the actual festival period.
Why?
Because hotels and air tickets are far cheaper!!!
So, today, I will show you what I could see and experience just a few days before the festival.
- What is Sapporo Snow Festival? When will it be held?
- You can enjoy a tube slider at another site 4 days before up until it starts.
- What was it like just 2 days before the festival?
- Do not expect to see ice sculptures in Susukino area before the festival starts…there are only bases.
- At the park, I could see more than I had anticipated! Snow statues are decorated from the 4th to 12th blocks!
- The giant snow statues are located from the 4th to 12th blocks
- The best work of all thing was “the Helsinki Cathedral”
- Pokemon, Hello Kitty…The statues made by citizens were displayed (9th-12th block)
- So, is it worth visiting there before the festival starts?
What is Sapporo Snow Festival? When will it be held?
The Sapporo Snow Festival is an annual festival which lasts more than one week. It has nearly 60 years of history, and it attracts 2 million tourists every year.
The main site is located in Central Sapporo, the capital city of Hokkaido, where you will see a lot of snow statues.
And at the Susukino site, the ice sculptures are showcased.
According to its official website, the festival will be held from the 4th to 11th of February, 2020.
You can enjoy a tube slider at another site 4 days before up until it starts.
I arrived in Sapporo 4 days before the 1st day of the festival, but in another site called Tsudome, the festival had already started.
This is also a part of the Sapporo Snow Festival, but the site is 40 minutes away by subway from the main site. The nearest station is Sakaemachi (Toho line), which is 1 km away from the site.
On my way to the site from Sakaemachi station, it started snowing, which made getting there harder…
This is the site called Tsudome! When I arrived here, I found out that there is a shuttle bus that runs between the dome to Sakaemachi station. (100JPY for adults)
I got so relieved to be inside after walking in a snow blowing…
Inside the dome: good place to release your kids!
It was not cold inside… and there were some attractions for kids!
To get inside the attraction’s area, purchasing a ticket is required.
Are you a big fan of Ramen? So many Ramen stands of popular shops!
There are different types of Ramen depending on each region in Japan, and Hokkaido style is a major one!
Here, you can have many options from famous canteens in Hokkaido!
Aside from Ramen, there are other types of Hokkaido foods like Bento (lunch box) of scallop with rice. very fascinating place!
But go outside! then have fun with tube sliders of ice!
But you don’t go there only to stay inside the dome. Go outside to find the amusing stuff of the festival!
The first thing you may find there is the ice slider for very small kids.
And these statues were created by the students of primary and middle schools nearby.
Here, the most amusing thing is the tube sliding on ice! It’s free! I am now over 40…but I still tried it.
At the entrance, they offered me the tube. Then, I went up the stairs bringing it. One of the staff offered me if I needed her help, but I did it by myself.
There was no queue maybe because it was Friday.
My impression was it was so amusing! It lasted about 20-30 seconds, I suppose.
After sliding, I went through this “corridor” and returned the tube. But if you want to slide once again, you can do it!
Going back to the station, I took the shuttle bus! There was almost blizzard, so walking back to the station would have been too tough.
It is 100JPY for adults, but kids (I guess 12 or younger) and elderly people (65 or older?) are not charged.
What was it like just 2 days before the festival?
I walked around the main sites “Susukino” and “Odori Park” 2 days before the festival started.
Here are what I saw there!
Do not expect to see ice sculptures in Susukino area before the festival starts…there are only bases.
I went to the Susukino site first because it was closer to my hotel.
In the area, you are supposed to see very beautiful ice sculptures during the festival. However, since I went there 2 days before the festival, there were only bases of ice. It was a bit disappointing, but fair enough.
At the park, I could see more than I had anticipated! Snow statues are decorated from the 4th to 12th blocks!
But the most attractive point of the festival is the snow statues in the O-dori Park. The park stretches from Nishi (West) 1st block to 12th block, and The Sapporo TV tower is located at the 1st-3rd block. There was also an ice-skating rink and a slide for snowboarders and skiers installed temporarily.
Here are the images from the video I took on the previous evening.
The giant snow statues are located from the 4th to 12th blocks
I did not expect to get close to the statues during the preparation period, but I could see more than I had anticipated!
These are Hatsune Miku and Toyama Kasumi.
“Thoroughbreds Galloping Across a Field “
Although I could not be in front of the sculpture, I was satisfied with the views from both sides.
“A girl”. Her face and hair were so exquisite.
This is an ice sculpture of the train station in Taiwan. Outstandingly beautiful and well-crafted.
There were a lot of works for anime characters. Sorry, I’m not very knowledgeable about anime, so I don’t know who they are.
The best work of all thing was “the Helsinki Cathedral”
The ice sculpture of the Taiwanese station was very beautiful, but the best one should be this Cathedral in Helsinki. It was created by some members of Self Defence Forces.
They make the biggest work every year, which is now a tradition here.
The apostles on the roof were especially amazing.
This is a train out of a tunnel..
Pokemon, Hello Kitty…The statues made by citizens were displayed (9th-12th block)
I could freely walk around the area of the statues by the citizens. It was really interesting to see them carving their snow works!
Totoro was there.
Hello!Kitty…
Pikachu?
Some of them were talking to me and were very friendly, and it rarely happens in Tokyo.
So, is it worth visiting there before the festival starts?
Actually, I was satisfied with the works which were more than I had expected.
However….
I will definitely go back there during the festival!!!
It was really good to finally see the snow statues and sculptures, which I had been dreaming of since I was 6, at a much lower cost. But after all, I want to see the completed works!
For the cost savers… there might be cheaper hotels in Otaru (I’m not so sure… I need to check for next year!)
I guess the dates are the same with the Chinese Spring holidays, so there were 10 times more Chinese tourists than Japanese tourists there!
So the hotel prices get 2 -3 times more expensive during the holidays… I will try to check the hotels in Otaru, which is 30-40 minutes away from Sapporo by train.
In actual fact, Otaru is also a beautiful, and unique city, so you can enjoy both cities 🙂
I will write about Otaru very soon!
