Iluminação do Lago Shikotsu e Festival de Gelo - Meio Dia saindo de Sapporo

If it's your first time, I recommend signing up for a tour because this spot is really inconvenient if you don't have a car. However, if you plan to go, make sure to eat lunch beforehand, as I didn't see many vendors inside except for cotton candy and drinks. You might not get back to the city until after 9 PM, so I strongly suggest bringing some food. We were quite lucky; even though it was the hottest week in Hokkaido and there wasn't much snow in the city, it started snowing when we got to Lake Shikotsu and went down to the exhibition area, giving my travel companion their first snow experience. It's a bit remote there, so the wind can be quite cold. I genuinely recommend dressing warmly and wearing gloves, otherwise, you'll feel the biting cold. If I get the chance, I'd love to go again, but next time I'd probably arrive around noon so I could explore at a more leisurely pace.

There's plenty of time, and it's definitely worth it if you manage to book! There's also a self-paid marshmallow roasting experience on-site. Everything is beautifully decorated, truly living up to the Ice and Snow Art Festival, making it a great place for photos!

The place is truly magical and lights up at night like an ice castle. However, we encountered a massive traffic jam on the way to the festival, so our time at the festival was limited.

Meeting place and time is very exact. The guide will call for the tour at the exact time they mention since there are loads of other tours using the same hotel as a meeting place too, so be careful not to get mixed up! Our guide was very sweet! She couldn’t speak english, so she translated all her announcements for all non-Japanese participants of the tour. Really appreciate her! Overall, a wonderful tour! It was so beautiful and you have more than enough time to go through the venue. Amazing experience!

So amazing all the ice and lights. The tour was great.

The experience was great! It was easy to meet up and the bus ride was pleasant and comfortable. Lake Shikotsu was incredible and the ice formations were spectacular. I wore two layers of thermal clothing and I was still freezing in the wind blowing along the shores of the lake. The light illuminations were amazing as it reflected through the ice.

More details from the tour guide could have made this trip even better. All in all, they delivered what was advertised.

super trip, well run. ice sculptures were amazing and the integral lighting made a very magical experience

Very fun but cold. The bus trip was a but boring because there is no signal coverage but overall its worth the money.

The bus guide only spoke Japanese, but she was very kind at all times and provided information in a way that was understandable to the rest of the people who didn't speak Japanese. This festival was a very beautiful experience.