Things I love about winter in Japan: snow festivals

Even though living in snow country can come with its challenges, there are also plenty of great things about it. One of those is the annual snow festival in Tokamachi, not far from where I live. The 2025 event dates are set for the weekend of February 15 and 16, and I would definitely recommend checking it out if you're willing to travel for it! It's a lot closer for many of us than going to the Sapporo Snow Festival, for instance!

From a past year of the Tokamachi Snow Festival

I'm always really impressed by the level of detail that go into the snow sculptures—in the past they've had things like characters from Spongebob Squarepants, Chiikawa, and Super Mario, alongside more traditional offerings too.

If you have a chance to go, I'd recommend it!

Have you visited a snow festival in Japan before? Which one was it?