Hokkaido’s abundance of snow in winter makes it scenic and a joy for skiers, but it can also wreak havoc on travelers.

Be aware of potential problems and be prepared for travel disruptions.

• Before flying to Hokkaido, check the status of the airport’s ground transportation.
• Your flight to Hokkaido can be diverted back to your domestic departure airport.
• Allow lots of extra time when traveling between destinations.
• Expect inexact information regarding transportation delays.
• While traveling, always carry some water and snacks.
• Always carry some cash (Japanese yen) in Hokkaido.
• Wear spikes on your shoes/boots.
• Winter clothing for Hokkaido.
• Hokkaido train stations and bus terminals are freezing cold.
• Train station lockers in Hokkaido.
• Lugging around your luggage in snowy Hokkaido.
• Stranded on the train for over 16 hours between Shin-Chitose Airport and Sapporo Station on January 25–26, 2026.
• Sapporo Snow Festival worth seeing.

Before flying to Hokkaido, also check the status of the airport’s ground transportation.

The main gateway to Hokkaido is Shin-Chitose Airport (CTS) linked to central Sapporo by the airport bus and airport train (JR Chitose Line). Even when the airport remains open to planes, keep in mind that airport buses and airport trains are also vulnerable to heavy snow. Airport trains and buses can be cancelled or greatly delayed. If buses are not running, it usually means taxis are not running either, except maybe for short distances.

In the worst case, you can get stranded at the airport. Check the airport’s updates. If the weather forecast looks bad, consider postponing your arrival to avoid getting stranded at the airport unless you have a hotel room near the airport.

Shin-Chitose Airport train status:
https://www3.jrhokkaido.co.jp/webunkou/timetable_en.html?id=246

https://www3.jrhokkaido.co.jp/webunkou/senku_en.html?id=06

Airport bus status: https://www.hokkaido-airports.com/en/new-chitose/access/bus/

Your flight to Hokkaido can be diverted back to your domestic departure airport.

If you’re arriving in Hokkaido on a domestic flight, it’s possible for heavy snow to close the Hokkaido airport and force your flight to return to your original airport. Usually, the airline will indicate this possibility by the early morning of your departure date. The airline won’t charge you a flight cancellation or postponement fee if this happens.

Allow lots of extra time when traveling between destinations, especially to/from the Hokkaido airport.

Your plane, train, or bus can always be delayed or cancelled due to heavy snow or some accident. If you need to attend an important event, make plans to be there at least a day in advance to absorb any transportation delays.

Likewise, for your flight back home (especially if it’s non-cancellable), be in vicinity of the departure airport well before your departure time, preferably by the day before. If your flight leaves Narita Airport, you should leave Hokkaido and get to Tokyo by the day before your flight home.

Keep in mind that airport trains and buses between Shin-Chitose Airport and Sapporo Station are often cancelled or delayed when there’s snow.

Expect inexact information regarding transportation delays.

Whenever there’s a major train delay, especially to/from the airport, passengers are typically not correctly informed about low long the delay will be. Even when you check the official website, it only indicates the train lines having a delay of 30 minutes or longer. It’s usually because even railway officials don’t know how long the delay will be. They don’t know how long it will take to clear the snow (done manually with shovels).

In extreme cases, the delay can take hours or even overnight.

Besides snow, other train accidents can occur such as a deer hitting the train. It will take some time to clear the carcass and inspect the train. Or someone in your train fainted and the train has to wait for an ambulance.

JR Hokkaido train status (Sapporo area):
https://www3.jrhokkaido.co.jp/webunkou/area_doo_en.html

Airport bus status: https://www.hokkaido-airports.com/en/new-chitose/access/bus/

While traveling, always carry some water and snacks.

In case you get stuck at the airport, train station, or on the train/bus due to the snow, accident, earthquake, etc., there may be hundreds or thousands of people like you, and the drink vending machines and food vendors will be quickly run out. Keep your own stash of drinks and snacks in case of an emergency.

Always carry some cash (Japanese yen) in Hokkaido.

Hokkaido train stations outside Sapporo might not accept payment with an IC card (Suica, Pasmo, etc.) or credit card since they don’t have IC card tap terminals. They only accept cash. You need to use cash to buy your train ticket from the ticket vending machine or manned ticket window.

Kiosks, gift shops, storage lockers, and drink vending machines might also accept only cash. Making it worse is some vending machines might not yet accept the new Japanese yen bills (introduced in July 2024) or the new ¥500 coins.

Wear spikes on your shoes/boots.

It’s very easy to slip and fall while walking on Hokkaido’s snowy streets. Small spikes slipped on your shoes or boots can be very effective. Mounted on a rubber frame, the spikes can be easily slipped on and off. Cheap and widely available online. Highly recommended. The last thing you want in Hokkaido is physical injury. Any footwear must be warm and waterproof.

Carry a plastic bag to store your spikes when you take them off to enter the subway, shopping mall, etc.

Winter clothing for Hokkaido.

Your ears will feel the freezing cold and wind the most. I find ear muffs to be more effective than a ski cap, although your hearing might be a little muffled. The ones that wrap around the back of your head to cover your ears is more compact than the ones worn on the top of the head.

It’s easy to bulk up your upper body with layers of clothing, but you shouldn’t neglect your legs. A pair of blue jeans won’t shield your legs from the biting cold. If you plan to be outdoors for longer than 20 minutes, best to wear long johns and ski pants or insulated snow pants. It should have a nylon windbreaker material to repel snow and wind.

Don’t forget your sunglasses. The white snow will make a sunny day doubly bright. Also bring lip balm, and maybe disposable hand warmers called kairo (カイロ). You open the package and shake it to initiate a chemical reaction that emits heat. Lasts for a few hours. Widely available at convenience stores.

Hokkaido train stations and bus terminals are freezing cold.

Hokkaido trains and buses are thankfully nice and warm, but be aware that train stations and bus terminals are freezing cold in winter. After stepping off the train and entering the train station, your body may be in for a temperature shock.

Even Sapporo Station is freezing cold since freezing winds from train platforms blow directly into the train station corridors. The body heat from people inside the station has no effect on the overall temperature. There’s hardly anywhere to keep warm except for a few kerosene heaters.

Most (if not all) train stations in Hokkaido don’t provide heating for waiting passengers unless there’s a cafe inside the station. You don’t want to wait or hang out at a train station in winter for too long.

Train station lockers in Hokkaido.

Sapporo Station and most urban and rural Hokkaido train stations near a major tourist attraction have lockers for luggage including large-size ones. Modern lockers accept payment with IC cards (Suica, Pasmo, etc.), while older lockers accept ¥100 coins only. Large-size lockers usually cost ¥700 and extra large lockers are ¥800. Another reason to always carry cash and coins in Hokkaido.

Locker sizes are pretty standard like the rest of Japan. The largest locker measures up to 80 cm to 110 cm height, max. 30 cm to 50 cm width, and 50 cm to 60 cm depth. Hokkaido train stations have no lockers nor storage for skis/snowboards.

Sapporo Station has about 800 lockers, Otaru Station about 120 lockers, Hakodate Station about 300 lockers, Asahikawa Station about 200 lockers, and most other tourist train stations look to have enough lockers for day trippers.

I know Noboribetsu Station has 30 large-size lockers accepting IC card payment. And Shiraoi Station near Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park has 18 large-size lockers and 13 smaller lockers.

More info: https://www.jrhokkaido.co.jp/network/locker/locker.pdf

Lugging around your luggage in snowy Hokkaido.

Typical tourist luggage have casters or wheels. However, they won’t work well outdoors in winter. It will literally be a drag to pull your luggage over snowy, icey, slushy, or bumpy sidewalks and crosswalks. It will take more time and energy to lug your luggage. If you have any elderly persons in your party, you may need to assist them with their luggage. Best to stay at a hotel right near a train/subway station.

Sapporo Station’s flooring is also bumpy with grooved tiles and lots of yellow bumps for the blind. It can wear out or damage suitcase wheels/casters. Tread lightly on these bumps. (I always carry my suitcase over these bumps.) It will be a major problem if any of your suitcase casters get worn out or damaged.

If you’re taking a large suitcase on the tokkyu limited express train, try to reserve a seat at the end of the train car so you can store your suitcase behind your seat. Or stand in line for the train early to get the luggage storage space near the train doors. First-come, first-served.

Otherwise, you will have to squeeze the suitcase in the aisle which is not good especially if you have a window seat. The aisle is quite narrow, and any suitcase will force passengers to squeeze past your suitcase.

Also, if you travel on a long-distance bus with a large suitcase, note that there are a few steep steps when you enter the bus at the front. If the bus doesn’t store luggage, you will have to find space for it next to your seat. Can’t leave it in the aisle which is too narrow. (Airport buses will stow luggage in the luggage compartment.)

If you manage to buy a JR Hokkaido tokkyu limited express train ticket with seat reservations online, you are required to pick up your paper tickets at an Eki-net reserved seat ticket machine like this one at Sapporo Station. It’s located next to the Midori ticket office away from the regular ticket vending machines having a long line.

Stranded on the train for over 16 hours between Shin-Chitose Airport and Sapporo Station on January 25–26, 2026.
1月25日、快速エアポート47号（10:20発予定）電車内にも一夜を過ごす事態となりました。16時間遅れでさっぽろ駅到着（午前４時前）。

Out of all the days to land in Sapporo, I picked January 25 when Sapporo saw record snowfall in one day. My plane took off from sunny Narita on time and landed in snowy Shin-Chitose Airport (CTS) on time before 10:00 am. Our flight got the warning of the possibility of the flight being turned back to Narita if CTS was closed. So it was a relief when we landed. Shin-Chitose Airport was quite thick with snow still falling, so I was amazed that the airport could still operate.

Still didn’t give any thought to the ground transportation situation in Sapporo, assuming it would take slightly longer than the usual 40 minutes by airport train. Got my suitcase at the baggage claim and passed by the airport bus ticket window indicating that all airport buses were cancelled. There was no choice but to take the airport train from Shin-Chitose Airport Station to Sapporo Station.

Right before the turnstile to go down to the train platform, we were told to stand in line since the train platform was already full. A long line soon formed after me. We waited, then soon loads of people poured out of the station from the arriving airport train. We were then allowed to enter and go down to the platform.

Airport trains were already running late from morning. The 10:20 am airport train (快速エアポート47号) bound for Sapporo and Otaru would be departing at the delayed time of 11:05 am. That’s fine, I thought. So we waited for that train. It arrived and left at 11:10 am or so. Great.

However, our train stopped for a prolonged time at each station along the way. We got to Minami-Chitose Station almost an hour later (usually takes 4 min.). We then stopped at Chitose Station for about two hours.

The train ran again, but stopped at Eniwa Station by 3 pm. It took four hours to reach a station which is usually 15 minutes from the airport. We ended up being stuck at Eniwa Station for the rest of time (over 12 hours) until we got to Sapporo Station the next morning at 3:45 am, over 16 hours after we boarded the train. We were free to go out of the train to get some fresh air or take a short walk on the train platform.

The delay was caused by delays in clearing snow at Sapporo Station. The explanation we kept hearing was, “It’s taking longer than expected to clear snow from the railroad switch points (ポイント) at Sapporo Station.”

These switch points are tongue tracks on the train tracks which shift left or right to direct the train onto the proper track. So they need to be cleared of snow to shift properly. Not only that, the snow clearing was done by hand. Men with shovels on the tracks shoveling away the snow. There probably was a lack of manpower as well.

The train conductor kept announcing the approximate time for the snow at Sapporo Station to be cleared away. The first estimated time was 2 pm, then 6 pm, and later 9 pm. This kept our hopes up, but it also broke our hearts when these times came and passed without the train ever moving. I had to cancel two engagements with friends who had waited for me patiently.

Although the train was originally bound for Otaru, it would now terminate at Sapporo Station instead. I called my hotel to inform them that I would be checking in late. Couldn’t say how late, but they would save the room for me.

We could go inside the train station which remained open. We could use the restrooms and drink vending machines, but there were no heated waiting rooms. There was a 7-11, but we weren’t told about it and it closed at 8 pm, just when stranded train passengers could’ve used some food.

Finally after 11 pm, the train conductor announced that the snow at Sapporo Station was finally cleared, so we should be able to start moving again.

However, the lead train ahead of us couldn’t move due to frozen brakes. So we had to wait until that train could move again. There were four trains ahead of us on the airport line. It was later announced that all the trains, including ours, had frozen brakes. Train brakes freeze in this weather if the train doesn’t move for a prolonged time. (Didn’t know that.)

Good news was that the lead train managed to unfreeze the brakes and move again, and our train driver also managed to fix our frozen brakes by gently jerking the train back and forth a few times. It took additional time, but we could start moving again!

However, someone in our train car fainted. A fellow passenger pressed the train’s red Emergency button, and the conductor soon came around. An ambulance was called and we had to wait for the ambulance to take away the person. So that took more time.

Not surprising to see anyone fainting from the physical strain and stress. Luckily I had a seat the whole time, but there were others who were standing or sitting on the floor much of the time.

After the trains ahead of us started to move, our train finally got moving and we got to Sapporo Station at 3:45 am, over 16 hours after we first boarded at Shin-Chitose Airport Station. The train conductor apologized sincerely for the 16-hour delay.

The whole time, everyone on the train was pretty quiet and patient. Fortunately, there weren’t any loud, unruly, or unpleasant people. Many were Asian tourists. The train was well heated and equipped with toilets. No reason for panic.

There was nothing we could do except to sit and be patient. Some people had left the train and maybe got an alternate hotel along the way. So the train wasn’t packed anymore.

Sapporo Station was freezing cold, but remained open with staff checking/adjusting our IC cards as we exited. Lots of people then waited at the taxi stand with no taxis in sight.

My hotel was a few subway stops from Sapporo Station and too far to walk it. So I decided to wait for the first subway train of the day at 6:18 am. That was another two-hour wait. At least the convenience store was open where we could get food.

We were allowed to rest on public benches inside the underground walkway connecting Sapporo Station to Odori Station. It was slightly warmer there. Didn’t sleep a wink, but a few men did snore.

Got on the first subway of the day at 6:18 am and got to my hotel soon enough. Slept the rest of the morning.

I had lost an entire first day and night in Sapporo. Totally unexpected. Another experience to remember. Soon heard about the 7,000 people who got stranded the same night at the airport (and 2,000 the next night). I wondered who was luckier, people stranded at the airport or passengers stuck on a train.

The news media focused on the 7,000 stranded at the airport, while ignoring or not knowing about those of us stranded on the train. There must have been hundreds of us stuck on six or more trains all day and night.

Much of the blame is being placed on JR Hokkaido who initially told the airport authority and airlines that airport trains could run at least partially. So that encouraged the airlines and passengers to fly in. However, JR Hokkaido badly underestimated its ability to clear the snow and kept giving a later and later estimated time for snow clearing until it finally cancelled all airport trains from 10 pm.

JR’s lack of communication and coordination skills and inexact estimates for snow clearing upset the airport, airlines, and thousands of passengers. They issued an apology. This kind of thing has happened before, and apparently lessons were not learned. Or the lessons learned were not passed on effectively.

Takeaways

• Always carry some food and water while traveling.
• Expect the unexpected.
• Give yourself extra time in case of travel disruptions.
• For your first day/night in Hokkaido, best to stay in the same city as your arrival airport.

Sapporo Snow Festival worth seeing

Seeing the Sapporo Snow Festival is well worth it. Easy to get there, compact enough to see most everything, and easy to keep warm (or to warm up).

The festival’s main site is Odori Park (大通公園) in the heart of the city. Long, rectangular park stretching east-west about 1.5 km and 100 meters wide. Anchored by the Sapporo TV Tower on the east end and the Sapporo Shiryokan museum on the west end.

Odori Station near the east end of the park makes it easy to get there on all three of Sapporo’s subway lines. From Sapporo Station, it’s a short subway ride on the Nanboku Line (north-south). Or you can walk from Sapporo Station to Odori Park through the convenient and snow-free, underground Sapporo Ekimae-dori walkway for about 850 meters.

See the snow sculptures during both day and night when they are illuminated with projection mapping, etc. The large snow sculptures have a stage in front for entertainment. As long as you keep walking or moving, you shouldn’t get too cold. However, if you just stand to watch some entertainment, etc., you may get cold eventually.

But no worries, because you can always go underground and warm up in the underground shopping mall called Aurora Town and Pole Town full of shops and restaurants.

The only thing with the Snow Festival is that Sapporo hotel rates go up along with airfares to Sapporo.

Safe winter travels in Hokkaido.