Asahikawa Winter Festival & Sapporo Snow Festival, Hokkaido’s major winter events

Hokkaido is a sightseeing destination with four rich seasons, offering different natural attractions and activities in each season.
Many people may be planning a trip to Hokkaido to enjoy winter sports during the coming full-blown winter season.
Of course you can enjoy Hokkaido’s unique snowy scenery and winter sports, but one of the most fun winter events in Hokkaido is the Asahikawa Winter Festival and the Sapporo Snow Festival!

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The largest and most famous festival is the Sapporo Snow Festival held in Sapporo’s Odori Park, but Asahikawa also holds the Asahikawa Winter Festival at about the same time, and each festival lasts about one week.
Many visitors enjoy the two festivals as well as sightseeing during the festival period.

Many people may be familiar with the Sapporo Snow Festival, but many may still be unfamiliar with the Asahikawa Winter Festival.
Although slightly smaller in scale than the Sapporo Snow Festival, the Asahikawa Winter Festival has become more interesting each year, and is now an event that locals look forward to with great anticipation.

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According to a local from Asahikawa, there are rumors that Asahikawa Winter Festival is more elaborate and of higher quality?
Incidentally, Asahikawa Winter Festival is a very historic festival, which will be held for the 63rd time in February 2022.
This year, due to the impact of the spread of the new coronavirus, the festival will be held online only.
No real crowd-attracting events were held this year, but you can get a little taste of what the Winter Festival offers online!

Coldest in Japan! Winter Festival” in Asahikawa in the middle of winter!

This year, the historic Winter Festival is being held online only. What will it be like when it is held as a real event?
　
Before going into the details of the festival, I would first like to mention that one of the characteristics of Asahikawa is its cold weather.

In the past, Asahikawa has recorded Japan’s lowest temperature of minus 41.0 degrees Celsius.

During the Asahikawa Winter Festival, there are also special events that take advantage of the cold weather, so you can fully enjoy Asahikawa’s winter events along with the Winter Festival.

A commemorative photo with the symbol of the Asahikawa Winter Festival, a large snow sculpture!

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The first thing that catches the eye at the Asahikawa Winter Festival site is a large, powerful snow sculpture that can only be seen in Hokkaido!

In Asahikawa, a large amount of snow is brought to the festival site around the beginning of the year, and it takes nearly a month to complete the snow sculptures.

Taking a commemorative photo with the snow sculpture is a must!
You can take pictures right in front of the snow sculpture, but we recommend taking pictures from the balcony across from the snow sculpture.

You can take a picture of the entire snow sculpture, so it may be easier to convey the power of the snow sculpture.

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The Asahikawa Winter Festival is also recommended for couples, as the large snow sculptures are lit up at night, giving them a different, romantic and fantastic appearance.

The main snow sculpture, as well as other unique snow sculptures of animals and characters, are lined up at the festival site.

Incidentally, while most of the snow statues at the Sapporo Snow Festival are basically white, some of the snow statues at the Asahikawa Winter Festival are colored in some places, giving them a different look.

Try the popular snow activities at the Asahikawa Winter Festival every year!

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The Asahikawa Winter Festival offers nearly 10 different activity booths each year, ranging from leisurely activities such as snowman building and a giant maze to more physically demanding activities.

One of the most popular activities, which has become an annual tradition, is the “Bun Bun Slider,” a 100-meter-long ice slide!

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The slides, which are made with great care by the Self-Defense Forces, are a thrilling experience as you slide down on the ice!

This is a popular activity not only for children, but also for elderly people of all ages.

If you get hungry, take a break at the Winter Marche, the best part of the Asahikawa Winter Festival!

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One of the most popular sections of the Asahikawa Winter Festival is the “Winter Marche,” a special food court that opens during the festival.

Nearly 30 stores will be lined up to offer a wide variety of food, from Hokkaido’s famous ramen, zangi (deep-fried chicken), and grilled seafood to hot oshiruko (sweet soup stock) and kushimono (skewers).

And for the enjoyment of tourists visiting from all over the world, Muslim food and organic stores are also lined up.

For first-time visitors, we recommend Asahikawa Ramen, one of the three best ramens in Hokkaido!
Eating hot ramen under the cold weather is a different experience from eating it in a restaurant, and it is exceptionally delicious.

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Incidentally, three types of original pin badges (500 yen each) with different designs are sold each year in conjunction with the Winter Festival, and the 2020 pin badge was the talk of the town with its New Era (Reiwa) design!

There were no sales in 2021 and 2022, when the event was held online, but we are looking forward to seeing what badges will be sold at the next real event.

They are available for purchase at hotels and other locations in Asahikawa, and are recommended as souvenirs or souvenirs of your trip.

Watch fireworks with the big snow sculpture in the background on the night of Asahikawa Winter Festival!

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Visitors to the Winter Festival at night should see the fireworks!

The fireworks shot off against the backdrop of illuminated snow sculptures and projection mapping is a must-see.

Asahikawa at night during the festival is extremely cold, sometimes reaching minus 10 degrees Celsius.
However, thanks to the cold weather, the air is clearer and you can enjoy the fireworks more beautifully.

Usually, fireworks are set off only on the first day of the festival and on weekends and holidays, so if you are going to the Winter Festival, you may want to try to schedule your visit accordingly!

Fireworks are usually a summer tradition, but in Hokkaido, you can enjoy fireworks in winter as well, and it will be a good memory of your sightseeing in Hokkaido.

It is a must-attend event to enjoy the fireworks on this night.

Events during Asahikawa Winter Festival (1): “Snow Light Zoo” at Asahiyama Zoo

The Asahikawa Winter Festival is great, but many people may also want to do something else fun while sightseeing in Asahikawa.
Of course, there are many recommended activities that are perfect for this period.

The first is the “Snow Light Zoo” held at the Asahiyama Zoo, which is now famous throughout Japan.

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This is an event that allows visitors to enter Asahiyama Zoo, the most popular zoo in Japan, at night.
In fact, the zoo is open only twice a year, once during the Summer ‘Bon’ Festival and once during the Winter Festival.

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Handmade lamps made of ice are filled with candles and lined up along the pathway, making it very romantic to visit after dark.

Inside the park, you can also see energetic, cold-tolerant animals such as penguins, polar bears, and seals.

And before the park closes, a woman makes an announcement, and the howling of the wolves is breathtaking!
You can feel the wild animals living in the wintry wilderness, so be sure not to miss it.

And of course, Asahiyama Zoo is open during the daytime, but if you visit Asahiyama Zoo during the daytime, a must-see is the “Penguin Walk”!

This is one of the most popular winter-only events, held to relieve the penguins’ lack of exercise during the winter, and allows visitors to see the habits of the king penguins as they go to the ocean to feed in groups.

The event is held every day during the winter snow season, but the time of the walk is fixed, so please check the Asahiyama Zoo’s website in advance.

The zoo is open until 8:30 pm (last admission at 8:00 pm) at night.

During this period, the Asahiyama Zoo will be offering free hot drinks and other refreshments every evening to warm up visitors.
This thoughtfulness is very Asahikawa-like, and overflows with kindness.

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Furthermore, during the Winter Festival, there is a free shuttle bus service between Asahikawa Station and the Winter Festival site, as well as between the site and Asahiyama Zoo.

The snowfall in Asahikawa in winter makes driving difficult, and traffic is not very convenient, so we recommend that you take the shuttle bus.

And of course, the Winter Festival site as well as Asahiyama Zoo are located in an area near the mountains, so the area is even more prone to feeling the cold.

To enjoy the zoo without feeling the cold too much, be sure to pack your warm clothes.

Events during Asahikawa Winter Festival (2): Unique to Asahikawa! World Ice Sculpture Competition

The second event that you should definitely visit during the festival is the “World Ice Sculpture Competition” held in conjunction with the Asahikawa Winter Festival at Heiwadori Shopping Park.

This event attracts nearly one million visitors every year, and is highly acclaimed even overseas.

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This is the only official international ice sculpting competition held in Japan, and about 70 ice sculptors from Hokkaido to Okinawa, some from overseas, gather in Asahikawa and spend 40 hours in the cold weather using ice pillars to create their works.

During the production period, visitors can see the craftsmen’s skills up close, and the ice sculptures are displayed during the Winter Festival, so they can be enjoyed at any time during the festival period.

The ice sculptures of birds, dragons, animals, and other creatures standing in freezing temperatures look as if they are about to move.

The ice sculptures have a different charm from snow sculptures, and the cold and clean air of Asahikawa enhances the ice sculptures even more.

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Heiwa-dori Shopping Park is the area that serves as the flow line from the Winter Festival venue to the hotel area.

The ice sculptures are lit up at night until around 10:00 pm, and you can enjoy the mysterious ice sculptures, which are different from those in the daytime, so if you are staying nearby, we recommend that you stop by to see the ice sculptures at night on your way home from the Winter Festival!

If you want to enjoy Asahikawa in winter, the Asahikawa Winter Festival season is the best time to visit!

How did you enjoy the Asahikawa Winter Festival?

Lastly, as a special note, one of the events that tourists and locals alike look forward to every year is the musicians’ stage performances and talk shows featuring popular entertainers.

In the past, the festival has hosted such guests as Yoshio Kojima, whose naked act is popular even though it is the middle of winter, and “Always Cheerful” Yasumura, a local Asahikawa native.

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The Asahikawa Winter Festival is also popular for having the most popular comedians of the season at the time, such as Bruzon Chiemi in February 2018 and the ever-popular ANZEN Manzai in February 2019.

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And the 2020 Asahikawa Winter Festival even featured a monomaniac, Ringo-chan!

Unfortunately, the Asahikawa Winter Festival in 2021 and 2022 will be held online, but that doesn’t stop us from having fun in our own online way!

In 2021, “Winter for Everyone 2021” was held to send out images and messages of snowmen, ice candles, etc. created by households and companies to express appreciation and encouragement to medical professionals and many others who work day and night to protect the lives of citizens.

In 2022, “Winter for Everyone 2022” will be held online, following last year’s event.
Snow statues and light objects reminiscent of the real event appeared on Asahikawa’s central shopping park street, and fireworks were also set off!

We didn’t get to enjoy the gorgeous snow sculptures as we did in previous years, but we’ll wait until one day we can go out again as much as we want, not only in Hokkaido, but all over the world!

When the coronavirus settles down, be sure to visit Hokkaido for sightseeing and visit the Asahikawa Winter Festival in February!

For Hokkaido activity experiences visit Basho Trip