Explore Winter Sapporo: Food, Culture, and Scenic Tours

Sapporo in winter is everything the photos promise — deep snow, steaming bowls of ramen, izakayas glowing warm against the cold, and day trips into a Hokkaido countryside that looks like it’s been painted. Here’s our guide to doing it right.

🏨 Vessel Hotel Campana Susukino — The Perfect Sapporo Base

For a winter trip focused on Susukino’s restaurants and bars, Vessel Hotel Campana Susukino is an ideal base. It sits right in the heart of Susukino — Sapporo’s entertainment district — which means the best izakayas, ramen shops, and yakiniku restaurants are within walking distance. Coming back from dinner in the snow and being in your room two minutes later is exactly the kind of convenience that makes a trip feel easy.

The rooms are clean, modern, and well-designed — compact in the way good Japanese hotel rooms are, where nothing is wasted. But the real reason to stay here is the large public bath. After a day in the Hokkaido cold, soaking in a spacious, clean onsen-style bath is one of the more restorative experiences available to a traveler. We used it every evening and it never got old.

📋 Vessel Hotel Campana Susukino — Quick Facts Location: Susukino, Sapporo — heart of the entertainment district
Public bath: Large indoor bath and sauna (open daily)
Breakfast: Buffet featuring Hokkaido specialties — highly rated
Perks: Free welcome drinks at lobby from 2:00 PM – 11:00 PM
Nearby: Susukino subway station (5-min walk), Tanukoji Shopping Street
👉 Check availability on Booking.com

❄️ Biei & Furano Day Tour — A Hokkaido Winter Classic

No winter trip to Sapporo is complete without a day in Biei and Furano. We booked a guided group tour from Sapporo — a full day that took us through some of Hokkaido’s most iconic winter landscapes. Here’s what we covered:

🎄 The Christmas Tree — Biei

The Christmas Tree (クリスマスツリーの木) is a lone spruce standing in the middle of a snow-covered field in Biei — and in winter, when the branches are heavy with snow, it looks almost impossibly perfect. Like someone placed a decorated tree in the middle of a white landscape and forgot to take it inside. It’s the kind of scene that makes you understand why people travel specifically to see a single tree. Photos don’t quite do it justice. You have to stand in front of it in the silence of a Hokkaido winter field to feel it properly.

💧 Shirahige Falls (White Beard Falls) — Biei

A short drive from the Christmas Tree, Shirahige Falls (白髭の滝) is another of Biei’s signature sights. The waterfall flows from underground springs directly into the vivid blue of the Biei River — a blue so intense it looks artificial, caused by colloidal aluminium hydroxide in the water. In winter, with snow on the surrounding banks and ice forming at the edges, it’s extraordinary.

📋 Shirahige Falls Info Location: Biei-cho, Kamikawa District, Hokkaido
Access: On the main road between Biei and Furano — easy drive-by stop
Best time: Morning for best light on the blue water
👉 Google Maps

🍤 Junpei — Biei’s Famous Shrimp Tendon

In the small town of Biei, a restaurant called Junpei has become famous across Japan for one dish: shrimp tempura rice bowl (ebi tendon). The shrimp is fresh, the batter is perfectly crisp, and the sauce that ties it all together is exactly right. It sounds simple. It tastes exceptional.

A word of warning: this place gets very busy at lunchtime. The queue stretches around the corner during peak hours. Our tip — visit the Christmas Tree and Shirahige Falls first, then come to Junpei in the mid-afternoon when the crowds have thinned. It worked perfectly for us.

📋 Junpei (じゅんぺい) Location: Biei, Kamikawa District, Hokkaido
Famous for: Ebi tendon (shrimp tempura rice bowl)
Tip: Avoid lunchtime queues — visit mid-afternoon instead
👉 Google Maps

🧝 Ningle Terrace — Furano

Our final stop was Ningle Terrace (ニングルテラス) in Furano — a collection of small wooden cottages set in the forest, each one housing a different artisan shop selling handmade crafts, jewellery, and Hokkaido-made goods. In winter, with snow on the rooftops and lanterns lighting the paths between the trees, it feels genuinely magical. The name comes from the Ningle — small forest spirits from Hokkaido folklore. Walking between the little lit-up cabins in the snow, it’s not hard to see why.

📋 Ningle Terrace Info Location: Inside Furano Prince Hotel grounds, Furano
Hours: 12:00 PM – 8:45 PM (check seasonal hours)
Admission: Free
👉 Google Maps

🍻 Kitami Izakaya (北味) — Susukino

For our first proper Susukino evening, we went to 北味 (Kitami) — an izakaya on the second floor of a building in the heart of Susukino. If you’re looking for a classic Japanese izakaya experience — small dishes, cold beer, warm atmosphere, and food that’s consistently better than it needs to be — this is a strong recommendation. The kind of place that fills up with locals early and stays busy all night, which is always a good sign.

📋 北味 (Kitami Izakaya) Address: 〒064-0805 Hokkaido, Sapporo, Chuo Ward, Minami 5 Jonishi, 5 Chome−20, すすきの５・５ビル 2F
Type: Izakaya — classic Japanese pub dining
👉 Google Maps

🥩 Nikumaru Yakiniku (炭火焼肉にくまる すすきの店) — Susukino

For our yakiniku night, we went to 炭火焼肉にくまる すすきの店 — charcoal-grilled yakiniku in Susukino. Charcoal grilling makes a genuine difference to the flavour compared to gas, and the meat quality here is excellent. Hokkaido beef is something to take seriously, and this is a great place to experience it. Highly recommended for a Susukino dinner.

📋 炭火焼肉にくまる すすきの店 Location: Susukino, Sapporo
Type: Charcoal yakiniku (Japanese BBQ)
Specialty: Hokkaido beef, charcoal grilled
👉 Google Maps

✅ Tips for Winter Sapporo

• Pack proper winter gear — temperatures regularly drop to -10°C or below
• Waterproof boots with good grip are essential — Sapporo streets are icy
• Book the Biei/Furano day tour in advance — they sell out in winter
• Visit Junpei mid-afternoon to avoid the lunchtime queue
• Use the hotel public bath every evening — it’s the best way to end a cold day
• Susukino is very walkable for dining — most of the best restaurants are within 10 minutes of each other

✅ Final Thoughts

Winter Sapporo exceeded every expectation. The food alone — izakaya, yakiniku, shrimp tendon in Biei — would justify the trip. Add in the Biei and Furano winter landscapes, the warmth of Susukino after dark, and the comfort of a good hotel with a proper public bath, and it becomes one of the most complete winter trips we’ve taken.

If you haven’t been to Hokkaido in winter, put it on the list.