Chitose and Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival

An ice festival held in Lake Shikotsu hot springs in a national park.

Late January–Mid February, 2018

Chitose and Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival is an ice festival held in Lake Shikotsu hot springs in Shikotsu-Toya National Park, located about 40 minutes away by car from Sapporo city. There are lines of ice sculptures made by spraying water from Lake Shikotsu, which boasts some of the clearest water in Japan, and freezing it. The ice slide, the rink where you can slide around in boots, and the horse rides around the venue are popular with children.

From 18:30 on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays during the event period, there is the launching of around 300 fireworks, as well as Wadaiko drum performances. The hot springs around the venue also offer baths for day trippers, so after you have warmed your cold body up, enjoy a meal and choosing souvenirs in the hot spring town.

Lake Shikotsu, the closest national park to Sapporo, is located an hour outside of the city. After Akita Prefecture’s Lake Tazawa, it is the deepest and clearest lake in Japan. It is also Japan’s farthest north open water lake. Surrounded by beautiful mountains such as Mount Eniwadake, Mount Fuppushidake, and Mount Tarumaezan, the area offers various sites such as the Yacho-no-Mori bird sanctuary in addition to campgrounds. There are also many places to eat and drink in the hot spring area known as Bijin-yu. Many restaurants offer dishes made with local ingredients such as red salmon.

Source: Japan National Tourism Organization