Everyone says the snows have come late,
but as we pull out of Asahidake, Hokkaido’s
second-biggest city, everywhere is coated in
a glistening white. A storm has been brewing
in the heavens above us and, as we drive, it
unleashes millions of flakes, which pile up
on the rooftops and weigh down the tree
branches. The road is now a compact pancake
of glossy ivory, but my guide, Ido Gabay,
drives like it’s just another Monday morning.
“It’s been the worst snow season in more
than 25 years,” he says, gripping the wheel.
“But it looks like, finally, you’ve brought
some weather with you.”
Ido, who’s rangy and gregarious, is the
proprietor of Hokkaido Nature Tours, which
specialises in the natural splendour of
Japan’s northernmost island prefecture,
Hokkaido. Today, he’s taking me into
Daisetsuzan National Park — Hokkaido’s
largest — to discover the mountains.
We stop at a pure, icy spring to fill our
water bottles, then strap on our snowshoes
and hit the trail. The snow continues to
swirl, at times enveloping us and obscuring
the landscape, as we shuffle up Tenninkyo
Gorge. A crystalline river flows to our right,
and snow hare tracks punctuate the pristine
powder along our trail.
“I sometimes catch them by surprise when
snowboarding,” Ido says. “Though here they
feel our footsteps through the ground and
are gone long before we can see them.”
Soon, we reach our destination: Hagoromo
Falls, which spills down the rock face in
misty, sensuous streams. Ido pours us
tea from a flask and we sip the brew in
reverential silence, soaking in the beauty
of the undulating cascades. Hagoromo, Ido
explains, means ‘angel’s flowing robes’ — a
name that fits the falls perfectly.
Our next stop is at the base of the dormant
volcano, Asahidake, which, at 7,515ft, is the
island’s highest peak. We take a ropeway
cable-car (filled with European skiers who’ve
come to plough through the island’s famous
powder) and step out onto a wide plateau.
It’s a scene to drink in: the whole of
the landscape is smothered in a deep,
unblemished white, and a frigid wind scours
the mountainside, kicking up clouds of
powder. The skiers slide by and shoot down
their runs, while we deploy our snowshoes
and trudge towards Asahidake’s stony
rise. We soon arrive at the mouths of two
fumaroles, volcanic vents that spew forth
sulphuric smoke and steam. Acrid vapours
sting my nostrils as I stand there in the
driving snow, staring into these hissing,
otherworldly portals. I’m witnessing nature
in its purest, most unpredictable form, and
I’m gripped with a kind of heady electricity.
This is why I’ve come here in winter.
“People in Sapporo are known for being
laid-back,” says Yuichi Kudo, a local guide,
as we make our way along the ice-slicked
pavements of Hokkaido’s capital, later in
my trip. “We’re open-minded and tolerant,
though the rest of Japan thinks we’re kind
of slow, which is true, really: we like to drive
slow, we walk slow, and we even talk slow.”
The Sapporo Snow Festival is in full
swing, and we amble around, taking in an
ice sculpture exhibition that stretches for a
good four city blocks. The sun lingers behind
the low haze of grey, and snow blows down
in sharp, diagonal blasts. I bundle my jacket
and throw up my hood, but Yuichi braves the
onslaught without covering his head.
“I’m a local,” he laughs. “I’m used to it.”
After a visit to the seafood market, Yuichi
escorts me back to my hotel, where I soakaway the cold in the steamy waters of the
onsen. Warmed and re-energized, I head back
out to the Festival’s main venue: Odori Park.
A gumbo of languages bubble around
me, reflecting the event’s international
appeal, as I marvel at giant snow sculptures
of subjects as varied as cutesy anime
characters, Hokkaido’s native wildlife and
ancient cultural symbols from the island’s
indigenous Ainu people. All are illuminated
by floodlights and feature multimedia
projection shows. There’s also a snowboard
exhibition, wine- and sake-tasting, music
performances and a whole smoking lounge
constructed from glistening blocks of ice.
While I’m dazzled by the snow art, I soon
realise food is the real star of the show. The
whole of the concourse is lined with stalls
offering up local specialities: ramen, grilled
meat, veggies, sweets and fresh seafood of
every stripe. Over the course of the evening
I try skewers of venison, crab and fried
chicken, washing it all down with hot sake.
Red-cheeked and tipsy, I finish the night in
front of a snowy replica of Warsaw’s Lazienki
Palace, celebrating Poland and Japan’s
diplomatic centennial. A pianist sits at the
lip of the stage, plinking out Japanese pop
songs and classical pieces. As I take my final
sip of sake, I feel its warmth blossom in my
chest. Outside, the temperature continues to
plummet and the snow continues to fall.Japan’s northernmost prefecture, Hokkaido, is also its wildest. As the brown bears enter hibernation and the
locals get out their overcoats, the laid-back cities and volcanic landscape are coated in a blanket of snow and ice
— perfect for adventurous snowshoeing, hearty dining and, for one week in early February, visiting the legendary
Sapporo Snow Festival. Words: Chris Tharp
Hokkaido
Call of the wild
InsideJapan offers a 14-night Winter Highlights small
group tour costing from £4,295 per person, taking in
the Sapporo Snow Festival, spotting sea eagles off the
Shiretoko Peninsula and ice flows off Abashiri. Includes
accommodation in hotels including OMO7 Asahikawa,
transfers and the full-time services of a tour leader.
Excludes international flights. insidejapantours.com
omo-hotels.com/asahikawa snowfes.com IMAGES: AWL IMAGES; GETTY56 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel
JAPAN