| Admission | Free |
| Opening Hours | 18:00 - 21:00 |
| Dates | October 25 - November 3 |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | - |
| Notes | Parking available, food stalls are available |
| Location / Getting There | It is located in Nakajima Park so simply take the subway station to Nakajima Koen subway station. 1 Nakajimakoen, Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 064-0931 |
Nakajima Park is an extremely popular park in Sapporo. It one of the main three. The other two being Odori Park, and Maruyama Park. Since 2004, a new festival has started in Sapporo, that being the Autumn Illumination Festival. It is held in Nakajima Park in the evening and is truly stunning. During the day there is a Red Terrace Event on, in one section of the park. This has a dozen stalls and an eating area. They sell mainly sweet potato dishes. During the evening, it is lit up with hanging lights and is quite romantic. At 18:00 is when the real magic happens. Places in strategic spots around the park, the trees are lit with colored lights. Red, yellows, and greens. What makes it particularly beautiful is the reflection on the water from the central pond in the middle of the park. The Japanese Gardens inside the park are also illuminated and are a must see.
There are some events that are held out through the park to add to the experience. At the Hoheikan Hall building, there is the Meigren Dance Performance. This is a traditional geiko dance and is performed by geisha in their beautiful kimonos. Each dance goes for 15 minutes. There is also a tea ceremony at Hoheikan Hall where you an enjoy Japanese tea and sweets. There is also a tea ceremony in the Japanese gardens by the Hasso-an (Tea House). Oshiruko is sold here. Oshiruko is a traditional Japanese dessert made from sweet red bean paste and mochi.
| Meigrien Dance Performance | Free | October 25, 26, 30 November 2 1st performance: from 6:30 p.m. 2nd performance: from 7:00 p.m. 3rd performance: from 7:30 p.m. 4th performance: from 8:00 p.m. |
| Tea Ceremony and Japanese Sweets | ¥1000 | October 27, 28, 29, 31, November 1, 3 1st performance: from 6:30 p.m. 2nd performance: from 7:00 p.m. 3rd performance: from 7:30 p.m. 4th performance: from 8:00 p.m. |
| Japanese Garden Open-air Tea Ceremony | ¥500 | October 25 - November 3 |
| Admission | ¥500 |
| Opening Hours | 10:00 - 20:00 |
| Dates | January 27 - February 25 |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 0123-23-8288 |
| Notes | Parking available, cold so wear warm clothes |
| Location / Getting There | The lake is a 1 hour 15 minute drive from Sapporo or an hour drive from Chitose. Alternatively, for ¥1050 there are buses from New Chitose Airport to Lake Shikotsu. Click here for more information on the bus timetable. |
Put on your warm coats and hats when heading to the Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival as it is a cold one! This amazing festival lies on the shores of Lake Shikotsu. This lake boasts some of the cleanest waters in Japan and it is these very waters that are key to the Ice Festival here. The main feature of the festival are giant ice mounds that rise four metres into the air. These are formed by water (from the lake) sprayed up into the air like a fountain. The water freezes over making these interesting sculptures which are illuminated at night.
This monolithic sculptures of ice are fantastic to walk around at night which is the best time to go and visit. It gets dark in winter from 4:00pm so this is a good time to get down there. There are small restaurants and a museum hall there to stay warm after walking around the festival. There are ice steps leading to an observation deck overlooking the festival. There is also an ice hut plus large open spaces encircled with ice. This festival isn only ¥500 to enter so it is worth it. Getting to the lake itself is more difficult as you need your own transport. There are buses to and from the lake which can be accessed at the New Chitose Airport.
| Dates | October 27 - November 5 |
| Opening times | 12:00-20:00 weekdays 10:00-20:00 Saturdays 10:00-18:00 Sundays |
| Contact | https://sapporo-yakiimoterrace.com/ |
| Location / Getting There | The festival is held in Nakajima Park and is right near the park entrance in Sapporo. Simply take the subway to Nakajima Koen subway station. Alternatively, you can simply walk to the park if you are staying in Sapporo. 1 Nakajimakoen, Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 064-0931 |
This is a new brand new festival that started in 2023. The festival is focused on the humble sweet potato, and runs for a week from the end of October to the beginning of November in Nakajima Park. The park at this time of year is particularly beautiful with the autumn leaves. It does get chilly around this time of year. What’s better than a crispy, piping hot potato with a soft center to warm up. There is also hot coffee or a glass of wine to be had. A great pairing. There is a surprisingly large variety of sweet potatos that can be found here. You are looking anywhere from ¥500 to ¥1000 per potato.
Some of the varieties include the ‘Sweet White Potato’ which has a white center or the ‘Musume Beni Potato’ which has an orange center. The white potato is from Kagoshima and has distinct sweetness. Other types of potato are from around Hokkaido. You can find sweet potatoes that have been fried and sprinkled with caramel sugar. Other types have been peeled and fried. There are many to choose from, though be warned, the lines are long especially for the more uncommon sweet potatoes. And of course, they have desserts as well as savory. Sweet Potato Pudding, Sweet Potato Cream Puff’ and a Sweet Potato Parfait can all be enjoyed here. There are tents and seating to sit and eat here, plus of it gets too busy, you can wander through the park and find a nice spot!
| Admission | Free |
| Dates | Mid August around the 13th - 15th 3 days |
| Contact | - |
| Starting times | All day |
| Location / Getting There | Various locations throughout every city. |
Obon is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of ancestors. It has been celebrated in Japan for over 500 years and is known as a time for family. It is a time of family reunion, where the graves of ancestors are visited and cleaned. It also includes a celebration involving a Bon dance (Bon Odori). This festive dance was originally a folk dance to welcome the spirits of the dead. The dance takes place around a high wooden scaffold called a ‘yagura’. Musicians, playing a Japanese drum (taiko), and singers sit at the top of this yagura to perform for the line of dancers below.
These small festivals are held throughout each city in various places and districts. If you are in Sapporo, the main Bon Festival is held in Odori Park. Plus, there is another in front of the Park Hotel. At these Bon dances, there are stalls selling food and drink and this goes all day. In the evening the lanterns come to life and the music starts. Anybody is welcome to join the line dance that circles the yagura. This is a great way to get involved with centuries of Japanese culture and make for a great spot to get some video or photos.
| Dates | May 19 - August 14 Night Market - last Saturday of July |
| Opening Hours | From 17:00 |
| Contact | 011-241-5125 |
| Location / Getting There | Central Sapporo. 5 minute walk from Odori subway station and a 5 minute walk from Susukino subway station Sapporo-Ekimae Dori, 4 Chome Minami 3 Jōnishi, Chūō-ku, Sapporo-shi, Hokkaidō 060-0063, Japan |
During the hot summer months there is a lot going on in the city of Sapporo. Every weekend, there seems to be something going on. Tanukikoji is a shopping arcade that runs through the center of Sapporo. It can be found between the Odori subway station and the Susukino subway station. It’s very hard to miss! From May 19th to August 16th the Tanuki Koji arcade comes alive with decorations. The shopping arcade which runs for seven blocks is busy even during the weekdays so its a great time to enjoy the festivities.
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On the last Saturday of every July the night market is held. The night market sees all the local stores open, plus there are stalls set up in every block. Live bands and music are also the order of the day that perform on the elaborate stages that are set up! The arcade is also decorated with lanterns, plus giant blow up floats of the local mascot, the tanuki (which is means raccoon in English). At about five in the afternoon, the raccoon mascot comes out and visits each block. This is the best time in the year to visit the Tanukikoji shopping arcade.
| Dates | Last weekend of July |
| Opening Hours | Fireworks start from 19:30 until 20:30 |
| Contact | - |
| Location / Getting There | Held near the Toyohira River Minami Bridge in Sapporo. It's a 10 minute walk from Nakajima Koen subway station or Horohira-Bashi subway station 64064-0809 1 Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido |
The Doshin/UHB Fireworks Festival (better known as the Toyohira River Fireworks) is part of the Sapporo summer fireworks schedule. It is located along the banks of Toyohira River, and it os one of the three large firework displays in Sapporo. The festival is held on the last Friday of July. Due to its easy access from central Sapporo (about a 10 minute walk from Susukino or Odori), this firework festival is one of the most popular events for the summer. Over the hour, approximately 4,000 fireworks light up the night sky over Sapporo creating a beautiful effect against the city’s skyline.
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The event is on during the Sapporo Beer Garden , so why not go to both? The fireworks start at 19:30 and go for an hour. This event does get very busy, so its a good idea to get there early and find a spot! Bring a mat, something to drink and enjoy the warm evening. If you are lucky enough to know someone living along the river, the views from the apartment building are the best. Many of the locals are in their yukatas (summer kimono), so you can get some good photos of the crowds.The fireworks are on every year, and in the case of persistent heavy rain, they are rescheduled to a later date.
