Asahikawa Winter Festival

The Asahikawa Winter Festival is held every February in Hokkaido. It began in 1960, and has an overall theme of snow, ice and light. The festival’s main sights are the extravagant snow sculptures, and over a million people visit every year to see them in person.
The two main venues are the Asahibashi Site and the Heiwa-dori Site. At the Asahibashi Site, you can see the impressive snow sculptures. The venue is lit up at night, and creates a romantic winter atmosphere. Other attractions include the 100-meter snow slide and the giant snow maze.
The Heiwa-dori Site is where the ice sculpture competition is held. There is a light-up event held here in the evening, too.
During the week of the festival, the city center of Asahikawa is ornamented with decorations and lights. Be sure to dress in layers, since winter in Hokkaido can get extremely cold.