Famous Winter Festivals in Japan

Winter will soon be upon us.

Winter in Japan offers many attractions such as beautiful scenery, fun events, and seasonal foods. Winter festivals, in particular, are unique to this season.

Winter festivals range from traditional events with deep histories to festivals with modern illuminations. Here is some information on winter festivals in Japan.

■ What is the Winter Festival?

With the arrival of winter, Japan's snow-covered regions come alive with vibrant winter festivals, offering visitors a unique chance to experience seasonal traditions and culture. Winter festivals have long been celebrated as events to pray for health, a good harvest, and to express gratitude towards nature amid the challenging cold months. These festivals, cherished as part of Japan’s winter landscape, range from centuries-old celebrations to newer events designed to delight visitors.

Stunning ice and snow sculptures, beautifully illuminated shrines and townscapes, and even fireworks lighting up the crisp winter night sky create an atmosphere that makes you forget the chill. Each festival is distinct, embodying the local traditions and creativity of its region.

In this article, we’ll introduce you to some of Japan’s most iconic winter festivals and their highlights.

■ Recommended Japanese Winter Festivals

Sapporo Snow Festival (Hokkaido)

“The Sapporo Snow Festival” is a festival to enjoy the art of ice in the vast snow country. The Sapporo Snow Festival is one of the three major ice festivals in the world, and has been featured on the news since its preparation stage.

The Sapporo Snow Festival is one of the three major ice festivals in the world, and became known worldwide when Sapporo hosted the Winter Olympics in 1972 under the theme “Welcome to Sapporo.

Held every year in early February, the city of Sapporo is crowded not only with participants but also with tourists from Japan and abroad. The number of spectators exceeds 2 million every year, and the festival is popular among men and women of all ages and genders.

In Odori Park, the Odori venue, and three other areas in the city are lined with some 200 ice sculptures elaborately reproducing world architecture, celebrities, animation characters, etc., turning the city of Sapporo into a snow festival. The entire city is transformed into an art space. After sunset, the area is illuminated, creating a different world of fantasy from that of the daytime.

Sounkyo Onsen Ice Fall Festival (Hokkaido)

“The Sounkyo Ice Fall Festival” is a historical festival that has been held since 1976 and is considered one of the “three major winter festivals” in Hokkaido. The sight of ice sculptures of various sizes standing side by side on a 10,000 square meter site along the banks of the Ishikari River is breathtaking.

The ice sculptures are lit up in seven different colors, creating a fantastic atmosphere. This is a special view that can only be seen at this time of the year and is recognized as a Japan Night View Heritage Site. During the festival, many events such as Ainu dances and local drum performances are held, and the whole area is filled with excitement as fireworks are set off.

The chairs and tables are also made of ice at the “North Ice Tavern” where visitors can enjoy Kamikawa's local sake and soft drinks inside the ice sculptures. This snow festival is full of exciting events for children and adults alike.

Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival (Hokkaido)

The concept of the festival is an ice museum, taking advantage of the extremely cold climate of Lake Shikotsu. The water from Lake Shikotsu, one of the clearest lakes in Japan, is sprayed onto the framework of the lake using sprinklers to create a line of ice sculptures of various sizes.

The fantastic sight of the cobalt blue water during the day and the multicolored lights at night will remain in the memories of all who see them.

There are hot springs of different qualities in the vicinity of the festival site, so it is recommended to warm your body slowly after viewing the festival.

Otaru Snow Light Path (Hokkaido)

Otaru Snow Light Path is a snow and candle festival held every February.

The scenery of candlelight gently illuminating the snow-covered streets will warm the hearts of visitors. The retro townscape of Otaru Canal and the old railway line, the main venues of the festival, are filled with a fantastic atmosphere and attract many people.

100,000 candles are lit by volunteers from home and abroad, and the warmth of the handmade candles is one of the attractions of the festival.

During the festival, many restaurants in the city participate in ticket sales, allowing visitors to enjoy the snowy scenery while enjoying a delicious meal.

It is truly a special place that makes people forget the cold of winter, warms the heart, and brings people together.

Yokote's Winter Festival (Akita)

The Yokote Snow Festival is a traditional small New Year's event held every year on the night of February 15 and 16, and has a history of about 450 years.

Children enter the kamakura and are served amazake (sweet sake) and mochi (rice cakes). Originally, kamakura was an event to pray for family safety, prosperous business, and a good harvest by offering money to the water god enshrined inside.

The festival is a fun snow festival with 80 or so kamakura, mini kamakura, snow corridors, and many other attractions.

Hirosaki Castle Snow Lantern Festival (Aomori)

Every February, the “Hirosaki Castle Snow Lantern Festival” is held in Hirosaki Park, famous for its cherry blossoms. On a bitter winter night, the snow-covered castle tower and old pine trees of Hirosaki Castle are illuminated, inviting visitors to an ethereal world. The festival is one of Michinoku's five major snow festivals and attracts more than 200,000 visitors every year.

About 200 snow statues and lanterns of various sizes and about 300 miniature camakura lit by candles create a fantastic scene with Hirosaki Castle floating in the lights.

The snow statues are used as screens for projection mapping, which is a must-see! The competition between the pure white snow and the lights is impressive.

Many events are held to enjoy the snow, such as the “Grand Corridor of Tsugaru Nishiki-e” where pictures from the summer Neputa Festival are displayed, large snow sculptures in the shape of historical buildings, snow slides, and winter fireworks.

Nagasaki Lantern Festival (Nagasaki )

The Nagasaki Lantern Festival dyes the winter night sky in extreme colors. The city center is decorated with the fantastic lights of approximately 15,000 lanterns (Chinese lanterns) and various objects at various venues. Originally started as a Chinese New Year festival to celebrate the Chinese New Year, the festival has spread over the years and is now known as one of Nagasaki's most popular winter festivals.

One of the main attractions of the festival is the “Emperor's Parade” in which the Emperor's and Empress' palanquin is led by a flag corps and others marching in gorgeous Chinese costumes.

Lanterns come in a variety of limited colors, from yellow around the Megane Bridge to pretty pink in Chinatown, depending on the venue, so find your favorite spot. Around Chinatown, you can also find Chinese sweets and other delicacies such as kakunimanjyu (sweet buns stuffed with sweetened pork cubes).

This popular event attracts many tourists from within and outside of the prefecture every year, and is full of authentic Chinese atmosphere.

Namahage Sedo Festival (Akita)

The Namahage Sedo Festival is a winter festival held at Shinzan Shrine in Kitaura, Oga City, Akita Prefecture, and is representative of winter in Oga.

The festival is a winter sightseeing event that combines the Shinto ritual “Saito-sai” and the folk event “Namahage”.

The heroic and powerful Namahage dance performed under the fire of firewood lanterns lit up in the precincts of Mayama Shrine attracts people who come to see the festival.

■ Enjoy Japanese winter festivals with good protection against the cold!

All winter festivals are rich in variety, and all of them are worth visiting at least once.

The atmosphere of each region and event varies, so please visit the snow festivals you are interested in, referring to the winter festival highlights we have introduced.

To enjoy the festival to the fullest, be sure to take precautions against cold and infection.

We hope you enjoy the fantastic world of the Winter Festival!