Snow Much Fun in Sapporo!

Katie Johnson
Feb 12, 2023
11 min read

A few months back, Meg told me she wanted to plan a trip to Hokkaido, Japan's northern-most island, to see the Sapporo Snow Festival and asked if I wanted to join her. Being that this was the last area of Japan I hadn't visited, I told her I was down! One caveat: she had to dress me.

If you know me at all, you know that I hate being cold. I purposely didn't own a true snow jacket because, my mentality was, if I didn't have the attire, Bryan couldn't force me to go to cold places. Lucky for me, Meg used to work for Patagonia, so she had ample snow attire, and she loves skiing and snowboarding, so she knew what to expect!

As the stars aligned, I found a snow jacket at a Nike outlet for $40 making it clear that I was destined for this trip. Then Meg took me shopping to make sure I had wool socks, thermal undershirts, and thermal leggings! With my new purchases, I packed and prayed it was enough to keep this tropical woman warm in the place that receives the second-most snowfall in the world. (The most snowfall award actually goes to Aomori, Japan, which Bryan and I visited during our Northern Honshu trip back in 2021!)

So Hokkaido, here we come!

Friday, February 3, 2023

So Friday morning, I woke up to an email from AirDo Airlines that they had canceled our flight to Sapporo. As a cold sweat began to break out along my spine, I wondered if this was a sign we should just cancel the whole trip. As I tried to calm down, I messaged Meg and Kerri, another America spouse who decided to join us on our snowy adventure, to see what we should do. According to the email, we could only get a refund at the check-in counter...so we rushed to Fukuoka Airport to see what we could do!

As we began the two-hour drive to the Fuk airport, Meg reached out to a Japanese spouse she works with on base, who was kind enough to call the airline on our behalf. She found out that there was another flight, but it was first come, first serve at the airline counter. Kerri began to speed up! Please let them have four seats left!

We rushed to the AirDo counter and were able to secure seats on this new flight. Whew! With the morning stress behind us, we grabbed burgers in the airport before our 12:35 flight to Sapporo!

New Chitose Airport: 新千歳空港

We landed at New Chitose Airport and began our one-hour journey to the city center to find our hotel! Between Meg and Kerri, they became our navigators while Leona, Kerri's daughter, and I kept up with the luggage and enjoyed the snowy scenery!

HOTEL LiVEMAX PREMIUM Sapporo-odorikouen: ホテルリブマックスPREMIUM札幌大通公園

As the sun began to set, we made it to our hotel. I wasn't prepared for all the fluffy snow! It was beautiful and took my breath away! I've always known snow to be the icy North Carolina mess, but this was totally different! I will say though, dragging a suitcase through the fluffy snow wasn't as enjoyable as it sounds...it was a tough trek to our hotel!

Once there, Meg checked us in and we quickly learned she had booked us a twin bedroom...so it was going to be a fun trip of cuddling close! We laughed it off and headed to the lobby to meet up with Kerri and Leona for dinner!

Original Ramen Alley: 元祖さっぽろラーメン横丁

Hoping to warm up with some steaming noodles, we went to Ramen Alley for dinner! This alleyway is famous for its ramen shops, each fitting maybe 8 customers at a time, and each serving different Hokkaido ramen varieties!

We chose our ramen shop based on the decently long line (it's got to be good if people are willing to stand out in the cold for a seat!) Eventually, we were able to purchase our food tickets and were seated at the long counter to await our delicious ramen!

The food was good and it definitely defrosted my insides! We also ordered a few Sapporo Classics; Sapporo Beer is a national beer brand that can be found in every 7/11 and Lawsons around Japan. The Sapporo Classic is a special brew that can only be found in Hokkaido, so you know I had to try it! It tasted like beer.

Wine Bar Commlier: ワインバーダイニングコムリエ

After dinner, we walked by a few ice sculptures in the street that gave us a taste of all that was in store for the rest of our trip! By this point, Kerri and Leona headed back to the hotel for bed, but Meg and I were down for a little more exploring. We stumbled upon a wine bar and thought that sounded nice. Upon entering, we realized that this place was more than "nice," it was full-on "fancy!" We felt a little underdressed as we were escorted to our seats, where we realized the menu was hand-written in Japanese....

Google translate can do a lot and has made these two years in Japan doable...but Google Translate can't do handwritten signs, so we really were SOL. Our confusion is surely written across our faces as an older Japanese server walks up and just stares at us. Doesn't say a word- just stares and smiles.

By now, Meg can't keep it together. She is full-blown laughing at our circumstances and this uncomfortable situation we are in: can't read a thing, being stared down and unsure what our next step should be. Eventually, I say "red wine?" and she brings over 3 bottles for us to choose from. We randomly choose a South African wine and say a prayer that it tastes good!

As we sip our red from these giant glasses, that surely fit an entire bottle each, another male server brings over these little green figurines and says some things in Japanese as he sets them on the table. Again- we have no clue- so we smile and stare. By the time we finish our glasses, Meg and I can barely stop laughing long enough to pay our bill and put on our coats!

As we head to the elevator, the man chases us down with Japanese treats "as a gift!" As we crack up on the elevator, we both agree that this wine bar was enough of an adventure for tonight, so we head back to our hotel and cuddle up for the night!

Saturday, February 4, 2023

We began our Saturday morning with a cup of joe and a slice of quiche at Starbucks. On our way out, we noticed a cool tram covered in Pokémon that was sure to get Leona's attention!

Then it was time for the main attraction: the snow sculptures! In downtown Sapporo, there's a giant park stretching ten blocks that was filled with snow sculptures! We spent a few hours browsing this area and admiring all the amazing creations.

As we continued through the park, we reached some of the giant snow sculptures! While this racing horse looks stunning now, imagine it at night with videos of a moving horse are projected on it, making this sculpture truly come alive!

Some of the sculptures were interactive, while others had signs explaining the concepts behind their work (Google Translate came in handy!)

After a few hours, we needed something warm to bring life back to our hands, so we stopped at the Sapporo TV Tower for a cup of mulled wine and hot chocolates! It did the trick and gave us some energy to continue exploring some of the small shops lined up around the snow sculptures!

Then we were back to exploring. The next large sculpture brought the Jurassic Park films to life with the giant T-Rex! Even cooler, this sculpture featured Paralitherizinosaurus Japonicus, a new dinosaur that was discovered in Hokkaido during "the Covid Years!"

Check out that last picture above: I snapped a picture of the giant dinosaur sculpture from the side. I was amazed at how thick they had to pack the snow to uphold the 3D sculpture!

As we rounded the corner from the dino, we heard music and stumbled upon a musical performance by several locals! This chick was my favorite: she made all the beats with the piano and the extra foot pedals! How cool is that?!

Next up: two giant building sculptures. The first one is a replica of a Japanese courthouse in Hokkaido. And when I say replica, I mean it was carved to be an exact replica of the front of the courthouse!

The next building was a replica of Embley Park, the English home of Florence Nightingale. This building was chosen because Florence Nightingale is known as "the mother of modern nursing," and the sculpture was designed as a sign of gratitude to those who work in healthcare following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Then we continued through the last few blocks of snow sculptures, where I was shocked to see a sculpture made by some sailors stationed here in Japan!

Can you tell which statue was made by the Navy?

During our exploration of this park, we stumbled upon the Olympic rings that still stand from the 1972 Winter Olympics that were held here in Sapporo! Too much fun!

Manee Thai: マニータイ

After a morning in the snow, we were ready for a delicious, hot lunch. We stumbled upon a Thai place that was filling and yummy!

Kerri and Leona took a break at the hotel, while Meg and I continued exploring the area! The second major area of the Sapporo Snow Festival was a long strip of street that was blocked off and filled with ice sculptures! All I can say is that the pictures don't do these things justice; the amount of detail, precision, and gravity-defying pieces was astounding!

Some of my favorites were the fish market sculpture that had real frozen grabs and fish in the ice! I also got a kick out of the giant Don Quixote penguin statue that was conveniently located right outside a Mega Don Q, and the Coca-Cola Bear!

Doigt: ドワ

Needing some time to warm up, we scoured the area for a bar that didn't require reservations and eventually found Doigt.

After a shared plate of fries and a few glasses of wine later, we were ready to brace the cold for some nighttime viewings of the ice sculptures!

Earlier during our ice sculpture tour, we stumbled upon one area with huge blocks of ice. After translating the sign, we learned that there was an overnight sculpting competition that would take place! What started as 6 large ice blocks, were slowly transformed overnight into gleaming ice masterpieces!

Once the sun set, we stood and watched the artists hard at work as they began to map out their creations. Just wait until tomorrow morning when you see their finished work!

Meg and I eventually met up with Kerri and Leona, for dinner and more ice sculptures! After a few photo spots, we headed back to the hotel for the evening!

Sunday, February 5, 2023

I love that Meg is also a morning person! We were up and out of the hotel by 8:30 am, and with a quick run by Starbucks, we headed back to the ice sculpture competition to see what the artists created overnight. We. were. blown. Away!!!!!!

From 6 blocks of ice to this!? It was amazing! We stood around and sipped our quickly-cooling coffee while watching the sculptors work for the final hour and a half of the competition!

I put together a few different clips from the competition's start to finish! Watching these artists sawing, melting, brushing, and carving away was beyond cool!

By 10 am, Kerri and Leona met up with us, so we headed back towards the Sapporo TV Tower to see what pop-up events were happening this morning! This is how we stumbled upon the curling rink, where we each got to try our hand at curling!

I beat Meg and won a hand towel!

Sapporo Beer Museum: サッポロビール博物館

As I mentioned earlier, Hokkaido is famous for its Sapporo Beer, so Meg and I enjoyed an "adults only" afternoon at the Sapporo Beer Museum!

Not surprisingly, the entire museum was in Japanese, so we walked through pretty quickly with the goal of hitting the tasting area before our lunch reservation. After waiting 20 minutes in line to buy our tasting tickets, my phone buzzes with a call saying it was time for our lunch reservation, so we got out of line and headed towards the Sapporo Beer Garden Restaurant instead.

Sapporo Beer Garden: サッポロビール園

After sitting down for lunch, we agree to do the all-you-can-drink package alongside the all-you-can-eat meal. When in Sapporo, right?! So after ordering the Sapporo Five Star beer, a specialty brew that can only be enjoyed at this restaurant, we began flipping through the food menu.

Sapporo is known for the “Genghis Khan” lamb, so we picked out one of the all-you-can-eat packages and started grilling away! Similar to other yakiniku restaurants, Sapporo Beer Garden is a cook-your-own food restaurant, where they bring out raw vegetables and meats for you to cook on large cast iron grills at your table.

During our 120-minute buffet, we tried the Genghis Khan lamb, chicken, and pork, while also enjoying extra grilled onions and cabbage on the side! While this meal was on the more pricy end of things, we were sure to leave full. We were also very "American" to stay the entire 120 minutes to get the most out of our drinking package!

Eventually, our time was up so we caught a cab back to our hotel to relax a little until sunset. While Meg scrolled through TikTok, I read a few chapters in my book while letting our food digest! Then we met up with Kerri and Leona for an evening of snow sculptures!

Another pop-up area had a giant ice sculpture xylophone! If the line hadn't been as long as it was, we would have tried it out but opted to watch others instead. Nothing like ice musical instruments!

Back at the Florence Nightingale house, we joined the packed crowd to watch a dance performance/light show on this amazing structure!

Sapporo TV Tower: さっぽろテレビ塔

My final "must do" of the trip was to see the snow festival from up high, so we bought tickets and waited in line with the rest of the tourists to climb the Sapporo TV Tower! I will say, the view was well worth the 45-minute wait!

Ramen Republic: 札幌ら～めん共和国

I was stuffed from lunch still, but Kerri and Leona wanted to get one final dinner out in Sapporo. We visited Ramen Republic, an area on the 10th floor of a building that was packed with 8 different ramen restaurants showcasing even more ramen options!

You would think we would be sick of ramen, but I swear every bowl of ramen I have had in Japan is completely different and filled with all-new flavors! Meg and I picked one food stall that had a decent line (if the locals are willing to wait, then we will too!)

Eventually, we cabbed back to our hotel and finished packing up...tomorrow we head back home!

Monday, February 6, 2023

The day started early at 5 am, and we were shocked to learn it had snowed 4 inches last night. It was beautiful, but dragging a suitcase through 4 inches of snow is for the birds. I miss having shoveled sidewalks!

After an hour's train ride, we made it to the airport! I even snapped pictures of the stunning landscape as we flew by!

New Chitose Airport: 新千歳空港

Before checking our suitcases, I picked up a few cans of local beer to take home for Bryan! While he's missing this trip due to the current deployment, I wanted to make sure he could try the Sapporo Classic, the beer you can only get in Hokkaido, and the Sapporo Classic: Vintage, a limited-time brew that can only be found in Sapporo!

With my luggage full of cans, we checked in for the 9:15 flight and patiently waited for the plane to leave. As we took off, I marveled at the white landscape before lifting into the clouds and diving into my book.

With perfect timing, we began our descent to Fukuoka right as I finished my book! While Fukuoka wasn't covered in snow, the mountain view was stunning in an entirely different way!

Following our 2-hour car ride home, I was greeted by these babies who were happy to cuddle up for an evening of laundry!

Another trip in the books! While I wasn't volunteering to plan a trip to Hokkaido, I can say it was a fabulous weekend of art, snow, and friendship! It was out of my comfort zone but well worth the two days I took off from work!

'til next time,

--Katie