A month in the beautiful snowy country of Hokkaido!
A dream space like a winter fairy tale becomes reality
It unfolds before your eyes

From Sapporo, Otaru, Hakodate, Asahikawa, and Biei! I spent a festive month in the beautiful snowy land of Hokkaido! I discovered Sapporo's Snow Festival, the "Yuki Matsuri," when I was a 14-year-old middle school student.
A winter festival held in an unknown world captured the hearts of young middle school students.
Every winter, I wanted to go to Sapporo, which is filled with the fantasy of the snow festival.
But somehow it seemed so far away, and I never thought I would actually be able to go there for a long time.


Finally, I went to live in Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan, a place I had never been to before, neither in Tokyo nor Osaka, for a month.
I lived in Sapporo, the central city of Hokkaido, for about a month from the end of January to the end of February 2023, staying in two different accommodations.
The beautiful scenery and warm people I encountered in the white snow world added to the enjoyment of my trip.
Hokkaido, where snow falls from late October to early April, experiences the most snow in late January to early February, when the Snow Festival is held.
During that time, I was able to travel around Hokkaido and see the snowy landscape to my heart's content.
Even later on, he would avoid eye contact.
Snowy landscapes have a mysterious power that takes us back to our innocent childhood.


It also features places to visit and delicious restaurants in Sapporo City, as well as travel stories about various regions of Hokkaido.
From the beautiful snowy landscapes of Biei, Hokkaido's most iconic landmark, to the romantic Otaru, and even a train ride to Hakodate, a city where time seems frozen since the opening of its port, this guide also features the historic Jozankei Onsen and thrilling activities at the Sapporo International Ski Resort, both located near Sapporo.


Hokkaido is an island of gastronomy.
The climate and geographical conditions allow you to taste some of the most delicious food in Japan.
It is a fantastic place where you can completely fall in love with the signature dishes of soup curry, Jingisukan (Japanese-style grilled lamb), ramen, and sweets (sweet pastries, Western confectionery).


While traveling, I also taught online Korean classes as a Korean teacher.
My younger sibling and boyfriend, who traveled with me, were wonderful travel companions who went out of their way to be considerate, such as leaving their seats whenever I had online classes or bringing snacks.
Episodes with these travel companions enriched the trip.


This book will provide detailed travel information and vicarious satisfaction to those who love Hokkaido and are interested in the Sapporo Snow Festival, and will bring the freshness and joy of discovering Hokkaido's hidden charms.
For those who have already experienced Hokkaido in winter, this will be a happy opportunity to reminisce about old memories and revisit the beautiful encounter with the white winter kingdom.

It contains travel stories about places to visit and delicious restaurants in Sapporo City and various regions of Hokkaido.
There are also train trips to Biei, Hokkaido's representative snowy landscape, the romantic travel destination of Otaru, and Hakodate, a city where time seems to have stood still since the opening of its port.
It also features exciting activities at Jozankei Onsen and Sapporo Kokusai Ski Resort, both located not far from Sapporo.

--- p.17

Sapporo's representative ramen is 'miso ramen'.
It was a little salty because it was miso-based, but the chewy noodles and generous green onion topping were satisfying.
The name of the ramen shop was 'Kiraito'.
My grandmother was in charge of all the serving duties, including guiding people to their seats, taking orders, and bringing out food, while my grandfather was cooking in the kitchen.
Scenes like this are common in Japan.
The kind old lady gave us some candy as we paid and said cheerfully, "I'll be waiting for your next visit."

--- p.45

Leaving the dessert shop and heading towards the Otaru Canal, we moved busily, making the claim that there was nothing to do seem meaningless.
The road from the Märchen intersection square near Le Tao to the Otaru Canal is called 'Sakaimachi Dori', also known as Sakaimachi Shopping Street.
The Sakaimachi shopping street is lined with glass workshops, glass craft shops, and various decorative and souvenir shops.
In addition, there were so many attractive shops that made me want to stop and look around, such as a brick store, a seafood store, and a melon ice cream shop.
The street itself was so pretty that I took a lot of pictures.
As a result, we arrived at the canal later than expected.

--- p.82

There is always the trap of overhyping in travel destinations.
A restaurant that is famous for its delicious food may just be an empty cart with good marketing.
The photo spot where everyone waits in line is also an inexperienced space where you just take one photo and it's over.
Traveling isn't all about taking "proof shots," and sometimes I get so caught up in taking photos that I forget to truly enjoy the trip or engage my five senses to truly experience the space.

--- p.88

An open-air bath is a hot spring with bathing facilities located outdoors, allowing you to enjoy the natural scenery outside and feel the cool air while bathing in the hot spring.
I looked up from my seat in the open air, soaking in the hot water, and watched the snowflakes fall.
My face was cool and my body was warm.
It was my brother's first time in an open-air hot spring, and it was my first time in one.
There weren't many people around.
I enjoyed the hot springs by lying still with my younger brother and catching the cold snowflakes with my hands and soaking my body in the hot water.
I felt relieved to see my younger brother looking happy.

--- p.114

It was the first snow festival in three years.
Foreign tourists, who had been temporarily stagnant due to the coronavirus, are now flooding in.
Festivals and events were taking place around the TV tower in Odori Park.
On Susukino Street, sparkling ice sculptures were showing off their individual forms, and in Odori Park, snow sculptures were lined up on display.
A foreign grandfather taking pictures with a camera, a Japanese couple visiting with their children, and other couples all walked with bright expressions while looking at the snow sculptures.
--- p.119

I went to 'Ramai', a soup curry restaurant with an Indian style interior.
After waiting for a while and sitting down, I didn't even hope that the curry would taste good.
I just hoped it would live up to my expectations.
But the soup curry exceeded my expectations.
The warm and spicy broth of the soup curry melted my heart.
The stress has completely disappeared.
My tired hair felt like it was regaining its vitality due to my shabby mind.
A variety of fresh vegetables went well with the soup.

--- p.134

February 11th was the last day of the Sapporo Snow Festival.
This is a wonderful festival that has made winter in Sapporo happy with beautiful illuminations and snow sculptures.
This snow festival is an important event in Sapporo, and many people come from abroad and other regions to see it.
The experience of walking among the artistic sculptures and exchanging appreciation will surely become a special memory.

--- p.162

Goryokaku, a Western-style fortress built in the late Edo period, looks like a star when viewed from the sky.
As soon as I got off the train, I went up to Goryokaku Tower, which overlooks the star-shaped park.
I haven't experienced anything like this on my entire trip to Hakodate since the massive crowds at the Mt. Hakodate Observatory.
Fortunately, Goryokaku wasn't as crowded as the Hakodate Observatory.
If you visit in spring when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, it will be a beautiful sight covered in pink.
Looking at the flyer promoting the charm of Goryokaku, which is beautiful in all four seasons, spring, summer, fall, and winter, I thought it would be nice to be able to see Goryokaku in all four seasons someday.

--- p.174

As it turned out, the restaurant Kotoken was a historic place with a 140-year history.
The Japanese Empress even came to dine there.
There is also a museum inside the restaurant, displaying traces of history.
Kotoken opened in Hakodate in 1879 as a bakery selling Russian cuisine and bread, and later evolved into a Western-influenced curry and Japanese-style curry.
It is said that the building itself is preserved as a cultural asset because it is old.

--- p.182

Inside the hot dog, there was a mixture of grilled sausage, cheese, and tomato sauce, and it was fantastic when I took a bite with the bread.
I was surprised to find out that a menu item called a hot dog could be so delicious that it defies common sense.
Alex, sitting across from me, barely managed to hide his excitement at how delicious it was, and kept sticking out his thumb.
The best restaurant I had not only in Hakodate but throughout my entire trip to Sapporo was Fine Days Burger.

--- p.191

Biei is famous for its beautiful scenery in all four seasons.
It is a place that brings to mind green nature in summer and trees on white hills in winter.
In addition to famous tourist attractions such as Christmas trees, natural environments such as waterfalls and lakes are also great tourist attractions.
It's difficult to get there by public transportation, so we usually take a bus tour, but we tried the adventure of changing trains several times.

--- p.213

If you can occasionally share your awkward feelings with strangers while traveling, you are lucky.
I love the awkward yet warm encounters that occur during travel, the small acts of kindness and consideration, like asking someone to take a picture, asking for directions, or picking up something that has fallen.

--- p.223