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Ryokans for the Sapporo Snow Festival

For an onsen night at the 2027 Sapporo Snow Festival (4 to 11 February): Jozankei Daiichi Hotel Suizantei and Nukumorino-Yado Furukawa in Jozankei Onsen, about an hour south, each run a free, reservation-only shuttle from Odori; Dai-ichi Takimotokan and Noboribetsu Grand Hotel are in Noboribetsu Onsen, about 1 hour 30 minutes away by limited express and bus.

The 77th Sapporo Snow Festival runs for eight days, from Thursday 4 February to Thursday 11 February 2027, a national holiday. The big snow sculptures stand along Odori Park, lit until 22:00; the ice sculptures line Susukino's main street, lit until 23:00; and Tsudome is open from 10:00 to 16:00. Entry to all three is free. The festival draws more than two million visitors. Our directory has no ryokan in central Sapporo, so the inns here are in the two onsen towns closest to the city: Jozankei, about 26 km south in Sapporo's own Minami ward, and Noboribetsu, about an hour and a half away by train and bus. Spend the days at the sculptures and give one night to a hot spring. We have no inn in Otaru or Asahikawa, whose winter festivals fall in the same week; how to fit them in is below.

By · Updated · How we choose inns

A large snow sculpture of a Japanese castle in Odori Park at the Sapporo Snow Festival

Photo: T DMY / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0, cropped and resized

Key facts

2027 dates
Thursday 4 to Thursday 11 February 2027 (77th festival), at Odori Park, Susukino and Tsudome
Hours
Odori lit until 22:00; Susukino until 23:00 (22:00 on the last day); Tsudome 10:00 to 16:00
Entry
Free at all three sites; the Odori 3-chome skating rink and some Tsudome attractions charge
Jozankei from Sapporo
44 minutes by car; 60 to 80 minutes by Jotetsu bus; free inn shuttles from Odori, booked ahead
Noboribetsu from Sapporo
About 1 hour 13 minutes by limited express to Noboribetsu Station, then 15 to 16 minutes by bus
Otaru
From 32 minutes by Rapid Airport; Snow Light Path 6 to 13 February 2027
Asahikawa
About 1 hour 25 minutes by limited express; Winter Festival 6 to 11 February 2027
Ryokans for the Sapporo Snow Festival, ranked
#RyokanLocationPricePrivate onsen
1Jozankei Daiichi Hotel SuizanteiSapporoPremiumYes
2Nukumorino-Yado FurukawaSapporoLuxuryYes
3Dai-ichi TakimotokanNoboribetsuBudgetNo
4Noboribetsu Grand HotelNoboribetsuMid-rangeYes
Jozankei Daiichi Hotel Suizantei#1
Premium

The easiest onsen night from the festival. The inn's free Yukemuri-go bus leaves from outside the Showa Building at Odori Nishi 5-chome, at subway Odori exit 1, at 11:30, 14:40 and 17:00, and returns at 10:30 and 13:00; seats are limited and must be booked by 19:00 the day before. Jozankei's own light festival, New Yukitouro, runs from 20 January to 28 February 2027, and its night viewing at Jozankei Shrine is for overnight guests with an invitation from their inn.

From Sapporo
44 min by car; 60 min by subway to Makomanai and Jotetsu bus; 75 min by Jotetsu bus from Sapporo Station
Shuttle
Free, reservation only, from Odori Nishi 5-chome at 11:30, 14:40 and 17:00

Source: the inn's access page, checked October 24, 2026

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Nukumorino-Yado Furukawa#2

Nukumorino-Yado Furukawa

Sapporo, Hokkaido

Luxury

In the middle of Jozankei, at the Yunomachi bus stop. The inn runs one free, reservation-only shuttle a day, leaving at 14:30 from opposite the north side of Sapporo TV Tower at Odori Nishi 1-chome, the east end of the festival's Odori site, and returning at 10:00 to the Odori 4-chome area and Sapporo Station's south exit. Seats are limited, so book them with the room.

From Sapporo
About 50 min by car; about 80 min by Jotetsu bus from Sapporo Station
Shuttle
Free, reservation only, from Odori Nishi 1-chome at 14:30

Source: the inn's access page, checked October 24, 2026

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Recommended stay: 1-2 nights

Dai-ichi Takimotokan#3

Dai-ichi Takimotokan

Noboribetsu, Hokkaido

Budget

In Noboribetsu Onsen. From Sapporo Station bus terminal the direct Express Onsen-go takes about 2 hours 20 minutes and every seat must be reserved; the Hakucho-go, changing at Noboribetsu Station, takes about 2 hours. The Noboribetsu Onsen Airport Express goes straight to New Chitose Airport in about 1 hour 35 minutes, also reserved, so the inn works as the last night before a flight home.

From Sapporo
About 2 hr 20 min on the direct Express Onsen-go bus (reserved seats); or JR to Noboribetsu Station, then 15 min by bus

Source: the inn's access page, checked October 24, 2026

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Recommended stay: 1-2 nights

Noboribetsu Grand Hotel#4

Noboribetsu Grand Hotel

Noboribetsu, Hokkaido

Mid-range

A minute from the Noboribetsu Onsen bus terminal. By JR it is about 1 hour 13 minutes from Sapporo to Noboribetsu by limited express, then a 16-minute bus. The Yuyu Liner Noboribetsu-go runs a paid bus from Sapporo once a day; it is booked with the bus operator, not the hotel, by 18:00 three days before.

From Sapporo
About 1 hr 13 min by JR limited express, then 16 min by bus; about 1 hr 40 min by car

Source: the hotel's access page, checked October 24, 2026

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Pairing the festival with an onsen night

The sculptures are at their best after dark, and Odori stays lit until 22:00, so the simplest plan is to sleep in Sapporo for the festival nights and add one onsen night either side. The Jozankei shuttles leave Odori in the early afternoon, which leaves the morning for the Odori sculptures and the evening for the bath; Suizantei's 17:00 bus suits a later start. Coming back, Suizantei's 13:00 return gets you to Odori with the afternoon free.

Noboribetsu fits the start or end of the trip. It is nearer New Chitose Airport than Sapporo: from Dai-ichi Takimotokan a reserved-seat bus reaches the airport in about 1 hour 35 minutes, against about 2 hours 20 minutes to Sapporo. The festival ends on Thursday 11 February, a public holiday, and Sapporo Snow Sport Park follows at the Premist Dome from 12 to 14 February.

When to book

Book as soon as your dates are fixed: the dates for 2027 have been out since July 2026, and more than two million people come to the festival, which takes in the weekend of 6 and 7 February and ends on the 11 February holiday. The shuttles are booked separately from the room: Suizantei's by 19:00 the day before, the Yuyu Liner to Noboribetsu by 18:00 three days before. The festival publishes the 2027 sculptures and events from mid December 2026.

Otaru and Asahikawa in the same week

Otaru's Snow Light Path, snow candles in the old harbour town, runs from 6 to 13 February 2027, and Otaru is 32 minutes from Sapporo on the fastest Rapid Airport train. The 68th Asahikawa Winter Festival runs from 6 to 11 February 2027, about 1 hour 25 minutes from Sapporo by Kamui or Lilac limited express, with more than 20 trains each way a day. We have no ryokan in either city, so both are day trips from a Sapporo or Jozankei base.

Questions about this list

When is the Sapporo Snow Festival in 2027?

From Thursday 4 February to Thursday 11 February 2027, eight days, at Odori Park, Susukino and Tsudome. The organisers announced the dates on 13 July 2026 and say the 2027 sculptures and events will be published from mid December 2026.

How do I get from the festival to Jozankei Onsen?

Jozankei is about 26 km south of central Sapporo, 44 minutes by car or 60 to 80 minutes by Jotetsu bus. Both Jozankei inns on this page run a free shuttle from Odori, booked ahead: Jozankei Daiichi Hotel Suizantei from Odori Nishi 5-chome at 11:30, 14:40 and 17:00, and Nukumorino-Yado Furukawa from Odori Nishi 1-chome at 14:30.

How far ahead should I book a ryokan for the Snow Festival?

As soon as your dates are fixed. The festival draws more than two million visitors, and the 2027 dates have been published since July 2026. Book the inn shuttles too: Suizantei's by 19:00 the day before, and the Yuyu Liner bus to Noboribetsu by 18:00 three days before.

Can I see the Otaru and Asahikawa winter festivals on the same trip?

Yes. Otaru's Snow Light Path runs from 6 to 13 February 2027 and the Asahikawa Winter Festival from 6 to 11 February 2027, both overlapping the Sapporo festival. Otaru is from 32 minutes away by train and Asahikawa about 1 hour 25 minutes. We list no ryokan in either city.

How are the ryokans on this page chosen?

The inns were picked by hand: every ryokan in our directory in Jozankei Onsen and Noboribetsu Onsen, the two onsen towns closest to Sapporo, with the travel times and shuttles each inn gives on its own access page, checked on 24 October 2026. Jozankei comes first, as the nearer of the two. If the top inn cannot be booked through one of our partners, the highest-placed one that can moves to first place. We do not show review scores, which come without a review count, and inns cannot pay to be listed or placed.

What are check-in and check-out times at these ryokans?

Check-in is from 15:00 at Noboribetsu Grand Hotel. Check-out is by 10:00 at Noboribetsu Grand Hotel. These are the times each inn states on its own website. We have not confirmed this for the other 3 inns on the page.

Where are the ryokans on this page?

The 4 inns are in Noboribetsu (2) and Sapporo (2).

How much do these ryokans cost?

Our price tiers here run from budget to luxury. Our tiers run Budget, Mid-range, Premium, Luxury.

Facts on this page checked .

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