Winter in Japan certainly isn’t for everybody. But just because it’s not for everyone, doesn’t mean that you should avoid winter for travelling Japan. In fact, there are countless amazing opportunities all across the country for you to enjoy winter in Japan. From skiing, to relaxing in outdoor onsens, there is no shortage of things to do. Here are some ideas that should hopefully get your excited and wanting to plan your next trip to Japan in the winter months.
Japan is located in the Northern Hemisphere, so the winter months begin in late November through until February/ March depending on where you go in Japan.
Ski on Japans greatest slopes
Due to the geological and geographical nature of Japan, there are places that receive snow. And then there are places that receive a lot of snow.
Ski fields are plentiful around the winter seasons and the ski fields are immaculate with pristine snow conditions and stunning views. The best ski fields can be found in the northern region of Tohoku, but there still are seasonal ski fields that can be found close to Tokyo and Osaka/Kyoto.
Hakuba is one of the most famous ski regions in Japan, which was where the 1998 Nagano olympics were held for the most part. The Tsugaike Kogen Ski Resort, the Hakuba Goryu Snow Resort and the Hakuba Iwatake Ski Field are the best of the ski fields surrounding Hakuba and certainly are worth checking out if you are into skiing and snowboarding.
Be amazed by winter illumination festivals
The Japanese are no stranger to putting up a good show. Winter illumination festivals in Japan are something else, usually with massive displays that last well after the Christmas period has passed. Light shows of half a million lights are not uncommon across Japan, with some of the best illumination festivals using over 8,000,000 fairy lights to create an immaculate display that will surely set the mood for the winter season.
While some of these illuminations come at a small entry fee, there are others that are free, usually put on in public places, meaning that almost everywhere you go during the winter period, you are almost certainly going to run into some form of winter illumination festival.
We’ve included a small list of the more notable festivals across the country below.
Sagamiko Illumination
Address: 1634 Wakayanagi, Midori Ward, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-0175, Japan
Entry Fee: 1,500JPY
Shirakawa-go Winter Illumination
Address: Shirakawa-go, Gifu Prefecture, Japan
Nabana no Sato
Address: Nagashimacho Komae, Kuwana, Mie 511-1144, Japan
Entry Fee: 450JPY
Marunouchi Illumination
Address: 1-3 Marunouchi, 1 Yuraku-cho Chiyoda-ku
Caretta Shiodome
Address: 1 Chome-8-2 Higashishinbashi, Minato City, Tokyo 105-7090, Japan
Enjoy Winter Attractions
Sometimes, places are just better in the winter. The Winter atmosphere just creates a unique experience in some places. For example, the Jigokudani Monkey Park in Nagano prefecture, where monkeys can be seen bathing in hot water as snow gently falls on their head, which makes the monkeys look especially relaxed. While this park is open year round, it is best enjoyed in the winter as that’s where the hot water creates the largest amount of steam in the frigid winter air.
Winter also has a number of snow attractions that open up, like Ice Fishing, or an activity where you get pulled behind a snowmobile in a rubber dingy and slide all across a frozen lake – sounds like fun, doesn’t it? That’s just the tip of the iceberg for winter activities in Japan. For your convenience, we have included some really cool (pun intended) experiences and things to see during the winter in Japan – There’s a good range of experiences that should just about appeal to everyone, see below our selected range of epic winter activities!
Sit back and relax in an outdoor onsen
Onsens (Japanese hot spring baths) are great no matter what time of year you visit, but outdoor onsens will give you a particularly relaxing experience in the winter time, as much like the monkeys, steam dances off the water as your enjoy the 40+°C waters with snow gently falling on your head. It’s incredibly soothing, and taking a dip in an outdoor onsen during the winter should certainly be on your to-do list on your winter trip to Japan.
A lot of Ryokans (Japanese style hotels) will have an onsen in them, but very few will have an outdoor onsen, so if you are wanting to enjoy the convenience of having the outdoor onsen at your hotel, then make sure you search for your hotels on Booking.com, you can filter types of hotels in Japan, and you can also filter what kind of hot spring they have in their facility, making Booking.com the best tool for booking your accommodation in Japan.
Start planning your trip to Japan, book your accommodation now!
The Sapporo Snow Festival
The Sapporo Snow Festival is possibly one of the most iconic snow festivals in Japan, attracting millions from around the world to gaze upon the marvelous snow creations over a 2-3 week festival. The Sapporo Snow Festival is one of the main attractions for the city of Sapporo, and as such Sapporo is much busier come winter time then it is during summer, it’s almost like a different city during the snow festivals duration. Most people who visit Hokkaido during the winter at least make an effort to explore the wonders this festival have to offer.
The festival takes place at various venues across the city, and it’s highly recommended that you check out the snow festivals website to see what part of the festival is taking place where and when.
Enjoy shorter queuing times at theme parks and other attractions
If you don’t mind riding roller coasters in the frigid weather, then going to a major theme park in the winter isn’t such a bad idea as the queues will be significantly lower, as the volume of guests to the park is so much lower in winter. Even aquariums or other local attractions will have far less people as winter isn’t the main tourist season – there will still be lines, but for the most part they won’t be anything in comparison to the lines you can expect to see in the busier tourist seasons.
In the summer and special holiday periods such as golden week, you can expect queues for rides and major attractions to be hours. Tokyo Disneyland and Universal Studios Japan are notorious for long queue times, with queues for an average roller coaster taking upwards of 3 hours, whereas in winter you can expect to see the same ride with a queue less than 30 minutes. Make sure that you book your tickets in advance to save time on the day! For your convenience, we’ve attached some of the most popular theme parks in Japan to explore!
Pack warm clothing
A key tip to enjoying the winter in Japan is simply being prepared for the weather. Even if you aren’t planning on doing wintery activities, it’s still important that you pack some good, warm clothing for the duration of your trip. While snow is pretty uncommon in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, temperatures still do get pretty low, with temperatures hanging just over 5°C on a good day, and below 0°C on a bad day. Come prepared with the right clothing and the right equipment so that you don’t freeze upon arrival.
The more northern you go, the colder you can expect the temperatures to be. Make sure you do your research on local temperatures for the places you are visiting, when you are visiting.
Are you planning a trip to Japan soon? Then you really should consider purchasing a JR Rail Pass, especially if you are planning on hitting all the major tourist cities like Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Sapporo.
The JR Rail Pass makes getting around the country easy, and can save you several hundreds in travel expenses. All you need to do is just show your pass at the ticket gate, and you have access to any and all JR rail lines across the country, and not just the standard commuter trains, but luxury trains, and even the world famous Shinkansen (Bullet Train). A JR Rail Pass is an essential item for any visitor to Japan. Buy your pass today by clicking here now!
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