Japan Diaries 4: Day 461

Japan Diaries 4: Day 461

Day 461: February 5, 2023

Sunday – 73rd Sapporo Snow Festival D2

Even though it's our last day in Sapporo, we still have many sites on our list. However, before checking out, we first enjoyed our complimentary breakfast on the second floor of the Sapporo Washington Hotel Plaza.

There are a lot of delicious food to choose from
Breakfast at Sapporo Washington Hotel Plaza and there are a lot of delicious foods to choose from

Itadakemasu!
Itadakemasu!


The meal was delicious. I especially liked the chirashizushi, which I ate more than 5 bowls of. There were other things to try there like the jingisukan meat but since we had plenty of those yesterday, we skipped it for now.

We kept some of our bags in one of the lockers in Sapporo Station.
We kept some of our bags in one of the lockers in Sapporo Station.

We left the Sapporo Washington Plaza Hotel at 9 a.m. From there, we went to Sapporo Station to get a Donichika Ticket and leave our bags in a baggage locker so that we could tour Sapporo City conveniently before heading home.

Susukino Station
Susukino Station

The famed Nikka Billboard of Susukino
The famed Nikka Billboard of Susukino

Susukino
Susukino

The first destination that we visited was Susukino to see the Susukino Ice World which is a part of the 73rd Sapporo Snow Festival.

Sapporo Snow Festival Susukino venue
Sapporo Snow Festival Susukino venue

Sapporo Snow Festival Susukino venue
Susukino Ice World 2023

Sapporo Snow Festival Susukino venue

Sapporo Snow Festival Susukino venue

The sculptures at Susukino were built of blocks of ice rather than snow like those in Odori Park. All of the ice creations were stunning. However, I believe it is ideal to go here at night since the illumination enhances the beauty of the ice sculptures.

Sapporo Streetcar
Sapporo Streetcar

Off to our next stop: Mega Don Quixote
Off to our next stop: Mega Don Quixote

Inside Mega Don Quixote
Inside Mega Don Quixote

Tanuki Koji Shopping Street
Tanuki Koji Shopping Street

I'm standing at one of the sites of the Tokyo Olympics.
I'm standing at one of the sites of the Tokyo Olympics.

From Susukino, we walked to the nearby Mega Don Quixote in Tanuki Koji Shopping Street to look for Filipino ingredients for my wife’s dishes. Sadly, we didn’t find any. We just bought some snacks before heading our way.

Sapporo Snow Festival Odori venue
Sapporo Snow Festival Odori venue

Interactive displays in Sapporo Station

Kaldi Coffee Farm in Sapporo Station
Kaldi Coffee Farm in Sapporo Station

KitKat Valentine's Edition
KitKat Valentine's Edition

We went to Odori Park as it was nearby to check how the snow sculptures looked in the morning. In my opinion, visiting Odori Park at night is preferable if you want to witness the sculptures' beauty, just like the ice sculptures in Susukino Ice World. We wanted to explore Sapporo City more but were already tired so we decided to go to Sapporo Station instead. What I like about Sapporo Station is that it is a "tourist destination" in itself. There are plenty of stores and restaurants there to dine in and also visit. One of the places that we went to was the Kaldi Coffee Farm to buy some international products. I got the KitKat Valentine Edition there to add to my "collection".

Some new burgers to try out in McDonald's
Some new burgers to try out in McDonald's

Early dinner at McDonald's
Early dinner at McDonald's

McDonald's Samurai burger
I got the Samurai burger again

We initially had dinner at McDonald's before boarding the 6 PM Engan Rapid Express bus to Rumoi City. We took advantage of the chance to sample the renowned Samurai burger. Good flavor, although it is a little salty. The bus arrived on time and we left on time as well. It was snowy on our way back, but thankfully, the driver was experienced, and we safely got back home at around 8:20 PM.

I can say that, overall, our 2nd day in Sapporo was a memorable one. We were able to visit the Susukino venue of the Sapporo Snow Festival. The ice sculptures there were beautiful and we were able to take photos with some of them. Hopefully, I can visit again next year.

Read more:

Japan Diaries 4: Week 66
Japan Diaries 4: Weekend 66
Japan Diaries 4: Day 460
Odori Park
73rd Sapporo Snow Festival
Tanuki Koji Shopping Street
Location: Susukino St, Minami 6 Jōnishi, Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 064-0806, Japan

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