A popular annual snow festival kicked off in Sapporo on Wednesday, showcasing 210 ice and snow sculptures across three venues. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/04/japan/sapporo-snow-festival/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sapporo #hokkaido #snow #tourism #festivals
More than 2 million visitors are set to descend on Hokkaido’s capital for the Sapporo Snow Festival. Here’s how to enjoy the wintry event like a local. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2026/01/31/sapporo-snow-festival-2026-guide/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #life #sapporo #snowfestival #hokkaido
Heavy snowfall across northern Japan and the Sea of Japan coast continued to disrupt transportation on Monday, leaving thousands of travelers stranded. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/26/japan/japan-snow-cold-front/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #snow #hokkaido #sapporo #aomori #niigata #rail
Japan still needs to overcome mounting challenges to achieving its goal of 60 million annual visitors by 2030 amid worsening Tokyo-Beijing relations and overtourism. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/21/japan/tough-road-visitor-goal/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #tourism #travel #osaka #sapporo
Candidates in Hokkaido for the snap election set for Feb. 8 will have to brave subfreezing temperatures to campaign, while a snowstorm on election day could mean a low voter turnout. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/20/japan/politics/snow-election-hokkaido/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #hokkaido #sapporo #2026lowerhouseelection
Come 2033, Sapporo’s Nakajima Park area will become a new northern hub of business tourism. And the newly opened InterContinental Sapporo offers a glimpse at the neighborhood’s upscale future. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2025/12/06/travel/intercontinental-sapporo-hotel-luxury-new/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #life #travel #sapporo #hotels #luxurygoods #micetourism
Plans to extend the runway at Sapporo’s Okadama Airport are moving forward to boost commercial flight capacity, attract more business jets and facilitate medevac flights at the city’s smaller airport. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/11/17/japan/okadama-airport-extension/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #okadamaairport #hokkaido #sapporo #airports #airlines #tourism #mlit
A court has ruled that a provision under a law on gender dysphoria requiring a change in the appearance of people's genital organs to change their legal gender as unconstitutional and invalid. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/25/japan/crime-legal/sex-change-requirement-unconstitutional/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #japanesecourts #sex #transgender #sapporo
Fossils unearthed in Hokkaido more than a decade ago have recently been identified as belonging to a new right whale species. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/22/japan/japan-new-whale-species/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #whales #hokkaido #sapporo
