Dec202026
Furano Kan Kan Mura
A snow and ice village beside the Ningle Terrace cabins, with an ice bar, snow domes, tube slides and around 70,000 lights.
Season · 21 events
Snow season in Japan.
Japan's snow country runs from Hokkaido to the Sea of Japan coast, where some of the heaviest snowfall on earth builds the season: snow festivals, ice worlds, candle-lit shrine paths and villages under metres of snow, mostly in January and February.
Dec202026
Tomamu Ice Village
A night-time village of ice domes at Hoshino Resorts Tomamu, with an ice chapel, ice bar, ice slide and an ice hotel room.
Jan222027
Matsumoto Castle Ice Sculpture Festival
Ice sculptors carve through the night in Matsumoto Castle Park, with the finished works lit against the castle keep.
Jan232027
Lake Shikaribetsu Kotan
A village built entirely of lake ice and snow on the frozen surface of Lake Shikaribetsu, with an ice bar, an ice chapel, ice lodges and an open-air bath on the ice.
Jan232027
Sounkyo Ice Fall Festival
Ice structures built in the cold of Sounkyo Gorge at Sounkyo Onsen, lit in colour at night.
Jan292027
Lake Towada Winter Story
A lakeside winter festival at Yasumiya on Lake Towada with winter fireworks on every open night, a snow park and food stalls from both sides of the prefectural border.
Jan292027
Yunishigawa Onsen Kamakura Festival
Hundreds of candle-lit miniature kamakura along the Sawaguchi riverbed in the hot spring town of Yunishigawa, a designated Japan Night View Heritage site.
Jan302027
Chitose Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival
Ice sculptures made from Lake Shikotsu water at Lake Shikotsu Onsen, blue by day and lit at night.
Feb12027
Lake Akan Ice Festival
A festival on the frozen surface of Lake Akan with on-ice activities by day and fireworks over the ice at night.
Feb42027
Sapporo Snow Festival
Large snow and ice sculptures at the Odori and Susukino sites in Sapporo.
Feb62027
Abashiri Okhotsk Drift Ice Festival
Abashiri's two-day drift ice festival of citizen-built snow statues, ice sculpture and stage events at the commercial port wharf.
Feb62027
Asahikawa Winter Festival
Winter festival in Asahikawa with a large snow sculpture stage and ice sculptures in the city centre.
Feb62027
Hirosaki Castle Snow Lantern Festival
Around 150 snow lanterns and some 300 candle-lit mini kamakura set around the keep and snow-covered grounds of Hirosaki Castle.
Feb62027
Otaru Snow Light Path
Snow candles and lanterns along the Otaru Canal and the former Temiya railway line.
Feb62027
Rikubetsu Shibare Festival
A two-day festival in the town that records Japan's coldest temperatures, turning extreme cold into the attraction with an overnight endurance sleep-out in ice domes.
Feb112027
Monbetsu Drift Ice Festival
Monbetsu's drift ice festival, running since 1963, with large ice sculptures carved from natural ice at the marine park.
Feb122027
Yokote Kamakura Festival
About 100 kamakura snow huts are built across central Yokote for a New Year custom with a history of about 450 years.
Feb132027
Ouchi-juku Snow Festival
The thatched-roof post town of Ouchi-juku under deep snow, with snow lanterns lining the street, traditional performing arts and fireworks.
Feb132027
Tadami Furusato Snow Festival
A snow festival in one of Japan's heaviest snowfall towns, built around a giant illuminated snow stage sculpture in front of Tadami Station.
Feb192027
Tokamachi Snow Festival
One of Japan's oldest snow festivals, founded in 1950 in one of the country's heaviest snowfall cities, with snow sculptures built by the community across Tokamachi.
Mar132027
Tsunan Snow Festival
A one-day snow festival in Tsunan, one of the snowiest towns in Japan, ending with the release of around 2,000 sky lanterns over the snow.
The full list is on the events calendar, filterable by month and region.