The 10 Best Events in Hokkaido, Japan

The Sapporo Snow Festival happens in early February each year, transforming the town of Sapporo into a unforgettable winter wonderland of snow and ice sculptures, skating rinks, giant snow slides, zip lines, snow domes and ice bars, and night time illuminations, all presided over by of course, the Ice Queen! There's a myriad of sculptures to see and events to enjoy across three sites in Sapporo and it's not surprising that this event is internationally renowned for its scale, variety, and sheer amount of fun available for all visitors.

Boasting extraordinarily clear waters, Lake Shikotsu is known as the northernmost lake in Japan which does not freeze over in winter. The clear lake water is sprayed through sprinklers to create the unique art objects displayed throughout the venue, including the Lake Bottom Aquarium, Hyoto Shrine, and Ice Slider. The various art objects sparkle a frozen blue during the daytime, and are illuminated in an array of colors at night. Visitors can also enjoy events such as fireworks displays and Japanese drum concerts. The shop inside the venue sells "Hyoto Candies," an original creation for the festival, and there are a number fine hot springs here and there in the area around the venue.

This festival of snow and candles is held every February in Otaru, known as the City of Canals. The historic buildings and townscape are lit here and there by warm candelight, conjuring a magical vision of Japan in the good old days. Since it began in 1999, it has become one of Hokkaido's leading festivals, boasting around 500,000 visitors in recent years. The name of the event is derived from the poetry collection "Yuki Akari no Michi" (meaning "snow light path") written by Sei Ito, a literary figure of the early Showa era closely associated with Otaru.

Held in Hakodate Port, an important transport hub connecting Hokkaido and Honshu with an excellent natural harbor, the Hakodate Port Fireworks is a dynamic fireworks show that makes the most of the location. From the 600-meter venue stretching along the waterfront from Toyokawa Pier to the Mashumaru Aomori-Hakodate Ferry Commemorative Museum, visitors can enjoy the art of astounding creative fireworks launched from up to five locations as they paint Hakodate's night sky with light and sound, including starmines, fireworks placed on the surface of the bay, and digitally linked wide-area star mines.

This festival is held every year on the last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of July in Otaru, a prosperous trade port known for its canals and historic buildings. Highlights include the "Ushio Furikomi" on the first day, in which participants parade in the streets doing a dance called "ushio odori," the "Ushio Nerikomi" on the second day, the main event in which teams both from Otaru and out of town compete in a recital contest, and on the final day, there is a regatta and parade of fishing and pleasure boats through Otaru Harbor. In recent years, fireworks displays are also held on the first and last days of the festival.

The name "Donpaku" comes from the booming "don" sound of blooming fireworks, and the Japanese word "paku-paku," expressing the sense of chomping enthusiastically on delicious food. As the name suggests, the main fireworks show is a magnificent program consisting of Niagara style fireworks crossing over the Kushiro River, a continuous series of launches, the largest sanjaku-dama display in Hokkaido, and more. Tons of food related events are also lined up, including approximately 100 food and beverage vendors participating in the Kushiro Suehiro Hashigo Sake Festival, and the popular Kushiro Oh! Sakana Festival, where fresh catches of mackerel and squid are up for sale, and huge tuna are broken down for sale before your eyes.

This is one of the largest fireworks shows in the country, combining fireworks, illumination, special effects, and music. In recent years, both the program and its audience have become bigger and more diverse. The grand finale includes sequential launches lasting more than 10 minutes, followed by a magnificent climax of a nishiki-kamuro completely filling the night sky. The Kachimai began in 1929, when the first president of the Tokachi Mainichi Shimbun called on local business leaders to put on Hokkaido's very first fireworks display in the city of Obihiro. The tradition saw interruptions over the years due to war and other factors, but in 1956 it was revived as part of the Obihiro Peace Festival. The show is now held on August 13th every year at a dedicated site downstream from the Tokachi Ohashi Bridge.

The Tokachi River in Obihiro, Hokkaido is home to many fireworks displays. The Doshin Tokachi River Fireworks are held every year in early August as summer comes to a close in Obihiro. Highlights of the show include the national fireworks collection, a giant sphere, and brilliantly colored starmines. The continuous drumming of explosions coloring the heavens is especially impressive. The show is sponsored by the Obihiro branch of the Hokkaido Shimbun. Traffic is highly restricted on the day of the celebration and there is no parking near the grounds, so visitors should definitely consider using public transportation.

The Asahikawa Winter Festival, held in the city of Asahikawa, home of the famous Asahiyama Zoo, has been held since 1960 and is one of the biggest winter events in Hokkaido. The main venue is located on the banks of the grand Ishikari River, best known for its giant snow sculptures. The main snow sculpture in 1987, called "Gulliver's Castle," even made it into the Guinness Book of World Records (updated in 1994 to a sculpture of World Heritage site, Hwaseong Fortress). A varied program distinctive of the snow country is prepared, including giant snow slides and snow sculpture classes, while the Ice Carving World Fair is held at the same time.

This summer festival is held in Furano, famous for its lavender fields and as the setting of the TV drama, Kita no kuni kara (From the North Country). The Hokkaido Heso Festival began based on the idea that "the sign marking the center of the body is the navel (heso)," an extension of a concept in Furano's Citizen's Charter established in 1969, which stated, "We are the citizens of Furano, which stands as a sign marking the center of Hokkaido." One of the highlights is the Heso Odori, a dance performed by dancers with faces painted on their torsos. In the early days of the festival there were not enough dancers, but in recent years it has become a huge event with as many as 4,000 dancers performing for 70,000 spectators. It will next be held on July 28th-29th alongside the festival regularly held at Kitamasa Jinja (popularly referred to as Heso Jinja).