Kamuy Lumina is an immersive night walk through the forest beside Lake Akan. Approximately 1.2-kilometers long, the trail combines Ainu culture and storytelling with spectacular lights, sound, video projections, and interactive effects.

Based on a traditional Ainu story about the Owl and the Jay Bird, visitors become part of the story while learning about the importance of respecting nature. Starting at the Akan Sightseeing Boat terminal, the walk takes around 50–60 minutes and is divided into eight story zones.

Held since 2008, the Sapporo Autumn Fest food festival celebrates Hokkaido’s harvest season and the flavors of autumn. Under the central theme of “Food of Hokkaido and Sapporo City,” various stalls line up from Odori 4 Chome to 11 Chome. Booths feature delicacies from Hokkaido’s oceans and mountains, the Hokkaido Ramen Festival, the Sapporo Gourmet Selection sponsored by Sapporo Breweries, bars, and wine and sake booths.

At the Hokkaido Market in Odori 8 Chome, municipalities sell local specialties to promote their regions, while crowds enjoy a variety of dishes and seasonal ingredients, including crabs, oysters, and fresh vegetables.

The Kitami Autumn Festival Okhotsk Marche 2026 is a three-day autumn food and cultural festival in Kitami featuring local foods including Kitami’s famous barbecue, beer, regional products, entertainment, and family activities. Chrysanthemum and pumpkin displays, evening illumination around Kitami Station, a cosplay event, and special stage guests add to the festivities.

The otherworldly marimo-moss balls that inhabit Lake Akan form as thread-like algae are moved along on the lake bottom by the waves. Although marimo are now protected as a national natural treasure, in 1950 when the festival was founded, they were on the verge of extinction due to theft, illegal sales, and the destruction of the ecosystem. The Marimo Festival was organized to return marimo back to Lake Akan and conserve this distinct natural wonder.

The 2026 Marimo Festival is the 77th edition and will be held for three days at Ainu Kotan at Lake Akan Onsen, a hot spring village situated south of the lake. The festival features presentations on the growth of marimo and viewing of their habitat as well as indigenous Ainu dance performances, a torchlight procession, and ceremonies to "welcome" the marimo and return them to Lake Akan via dugout canoes. During the Kamuinomi ceremony on the final morning, prayers are offered to the Ainu gods of nature in a first-hand experience of Ainu traditions.

Akan Ainu Art Week is an annual cultural and art event held around Lake Akan, combining contemporary art with the traditional culture of the Ainu people. The Lake Akan Onsen area and nearby Ainu Kotan serve as an open-air gallery, with artworks displayed in the town itself as well as the surrounding forest. Ainu theater performances, craft workshops, guided nature experiences, and film screenings are also a part of the festivities.

Sapporo Yakiimo Terrace 2026 is an autumn food event showcasing locally grown yakiimo (Japanese roasted sweet potatoes). Held at Nakajima Park, one of Sapporo's popular autumn foliage spots, visitors can enjoy roasted sweet potatoes prepared in various ways as well as other sweet potato-based sweets and drinks. The park’s golden ginkgo trees make the festival an excellent seasonal attraction.

Asahiyama Zoo's fascinating exhibits present animals in their natural habitat. At the zoo, visitors can enjoy watching animals from cold climates thriving in winter weather. The seal pool even has a man-made ice floe, where playful seals poke their heads out from holes in the ice.

The twice-daily "penguin walk" features a line of penguins walking on pure white snow, gathering attention wherever they roam. While not technically intended as entertainment for visitors, the walk is actually a way for the penguins to get some exercise and still brings smiles to the faces of onlookers.

One of Hokkaido's earliest major Christmas-lighting events, the Hiroo Santa Land Tree Lighting Ceremony, takes place at Daimaruyama Forest Park and features an impressive 150,000 lights. The festivities include a Christmas market, children's Christmas-song performances, other live music and entertainment, fireworks, and the main-event tree-lighting ceremony, to welcome in the Christmas season.

One of Sapporo's traditional autumn events, the Sapporo Chrysanthemum Festival 2026 (Sapporo Kiku Matsuri) showcases beautifully cultivated chrysanthemums from growers across the region. Flowers are judged on size, shape, color, and overall beauty and outstanding entries receive awards including the Hokkaido Governor's Prize and Sapporo Mayor's Prize.

The festival is a chance to appreciate the traditional Japanese art of chrysanthemum growing while exploring central Sapporo, with Sapporo Ekimae-dori Underground Walkway (Chi-Ka-Ho) serving as the main location, and additional displays at Aurora Square in Sapporo Aurora Town and the Hokuhoku Sapporo Building.

Sapporo White Illumination, first held in 1981, is famous for being Japan’s original illumination event. Odori Park serves as the main venue, while the 25th Munich Christmas Market and other areas full of colorful lights brighten entire city, transforming it into a warm, glowing winter scene.

The Munich Christmas Market began in 2002 in Odori Park 2 Chome to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Sapporo’s sister-city relationship with Munich, Germany. Running until December 25, the market offers Christmas ornaments, mulled wine, and hearty German dishes. It’s a charming place to enjoy Sapporo’s unique festive Christmas atmosphere.

On winter evenings in Hakodate, the star-shaped illumination Goryo-Hoshinoyume lights up Goryokaku Park. From sunset until 8 PM, around 2,000 lights outline the park’s moat in a stunning star pattern.

From the Goryokaku Tower observation deck, the sight of a giant star glowing against the snow is especially striking. Goryokaku Park is about a ten-minute walk from the “Goryokaku Koen Iriguchi” bus stop, making it an easy stop to enjoy a romantic winter scene.

The Fuyu-no-Shitsugen (winter wetlands train) is a winter-only steam locomotive train that’s been in operation since 2000. The train travels through the undisturbed Kushiro Marsh where you can see rare wildlife such as red-crowned cranes, Ezo sika deer, and white-tailed eagles from train windows.

The vintage wood-furnished Showa era carriages have an inviting, retro atmosphere. Onboard coal stoves let passengers roast and eat surume-dried squid and other treats. A trip on this train makes for a completely unique experience! See details on the official website.

Tokachigawa Onsen Hakucho Festival Sairinka® is a spectacular winter illumination event held at Tokachigaoka Park, in the hot spring town of Tokachigawa Onsen. Inspired by the thousands of swans that visit the area each winter, the festival transforms the snow-covered landscape into a magical world of light, music, and illuminated art featuring hundreds of illuminated cone-shaped objects in a synchronized light-and-sound show.

Founded on the concept of "a beautiful and magical winter beauty nobody has seen or experienced," this visual treat takes place from late January to late February, attracting over 50,000 visitors each year. Visitors can also enjoy the illuminated Hikari no Alley, snow rafting, and a warm rest area offering drinks and snacks.

Located in remote Shikaribetsu Kohan Onsen, Lake Shikaribetsu Kotan was first built in 1980, when locals became concerned about the low number of winter tourists in the winter and decided to create a village on the frozen lake. Along with its many igloos, visitors can enjoy making glasses out of ice at the ice factory, or head to the ice bar for drinks and relaxation.

For even more relaxation, there’s an open-air bath where you can soak in warm waters while gazing at the surrounding snowy landscape. It’s a unique way to enjoy the rustic atmosphere without worrying about passersby

The Sounkyo Onsen Ice Fall Festival is one of the longest-running events in northern Hokkaido, held from late January to mid-March along the Ishikari River. The festival was first held in 1976 to attract visitors in the winter. Water pumped from the Ishikari River is sprayed over a log framework to create ice sculptures, tunnels, and domes.

At night, mystical colored lights create spectacular scenery! The 100-meter-long tunnel connecting the entire venue is softly lit, and if you look up at the ceiling, you’ll find icicles bunched together to look like chandeliers. A 13-meter ice observatory offers a panoramic view of the entire fantastical ice exhibit.

The Chitose Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival is a spectacular annual event in which clear water from Lake Shikotsu is used to create impressive ice sculptures. During the day, the sculptures are a beautiful natural blue, that’s taken on the name "Lake Shikotsu Blue."

At night, you can enjoy a fantastical experience marveling at the glowing ice, illuminated by brightly colored lights. The festival also includes other activities and attractions including, ice slides, ice skating, and food vending stalls.

The Sapporo Snow Festival is one of Japan's premier winter events, attracting over two million visitors from all over the world every year. It started in 1950, when students from two junior high schools and three high schools in Sapporo created a six snow sculptures in Odori Park's 7-Chome area. The festival has grown over the years, and is now held at three venues: Odori Park, Susukino, and Tsudome.

Odori Park, the main venue of the festival, is lined with over 200 hundred snow and ice sculptures, including entrants from the International Snow Sculpture Contest stretching 1.5 kilometers across the park. At night, the park is beautifully lit, creating a fantastical atmosphere. In recent years, projection mapping has contributed additional artistry to this phenomenal event. The Susukino venue features ice sculptures and an ice bar. A bit further from central Sapporo, the Tsudome venue has indoor and outdoor activities, highlighted by a giant snow slide.

Like many of Hokkaido’s popular winter festivals, the Otaru Snow Light Path festival was originally established to promote tourism. To celebrate the festivities, candles and lanterns are placed throughout the Otaru by neighborhood associations as well as volunteers from across the region and abroad, bringing a warm glow to the city.

Candles line the historic streets of Otaru and iconic areas such as the Otaru Canal and the Old Temiya Line Railroad, creating a heart-warming atmosphere. Local foods and sweets round give visitors an authentic taste of Hokkaido in this charming coastal city.

The Asahikawa Winter Festival is said to have been first held in 1946, after piles of snow that were in need of disposal were used to create snow sculptures. Today, as Hokkaido’s second-largest snow festival, it is held on the banks of the Ishikari River and at the foot of the Asahi Bridge, Tokiwa Park, and around the shopping area in front of JR Asahikawa Station.

Live music and dancing on the stage in front of gigantic snow sculptures create a lively atmosphere. In addition, ice sculptures created in a 40-hour competition for the World Ice Art Championships are on display around JR Asahikawa Station and the nearby shopping park.

The Onuma Hakodate Snow & Ice Festival is an annual winter event held at Onuma Quasi-National Park near Hakodate. The festival transforms the snowy lakeside into a winter playground, with a spectacular 20-meter-long ice slide, along with snow sculptures and ice carvings. Visitors can also go on snowmobile rides with snow-covered Mt. Komagatake providing a beautiful winter backdrop.

As autumn gives way to winter, Hokkaido comes alive with seasonal events and festivals that embrace the prefecture’s northern climate and snowy landscapes. As temperatures drop and snow begins to cover the ground, it is transformed into impressive art, including intricate snow sculptures, while beautifully illuminated, snow-covered landscapes create a magical atmosphere. From the colorful events of autumn to the enchanting festivals of winter, there are plenty of events to explore and experience the best of Hokkaido’s changing seasons.