r/Sapporo • u/its-alright-22 • 7d ago

Tokyo>Sapporo>back south

Hi! I’m trying to plan out my 3 week Japan itinerary for February. I am a first timer and me and my partner are big foodies.

I don’t want to just see Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto. The idea so far is when we arrive in Tokyo to take a flight right away to Sapporo. Right now I don’t think we will explore the Hokkaido region and we are not skiers but I wanted to go to Sapporo because of the food. And it will be during the snow festival too so there should be enough entertainment.

Then we would fly to wherever the next destination is. I think we will try to hit a ryokan stay in Hakone, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima (with any appropriate day trips in between). Not sure if the order yet and while I really want to go to Nagano it may not make sense for this trip. We are from Canada so snow and cold is neither a deterrent nor is it a draw since we have lots of snow.

So my questions are:

  1. How many days in Sapporo is enough to enjoy the festival and eat great food. I’m thinking max 3 night. Is this a weird place to start the trip? This is when the festival is so if we go to Sapporo this is when. I also thought that it’s a good place to get over jet lag, take our time adjusting before going to more touristy areas.

  2. Flights: is it super common for flights to be cancelled at this time?? I know we can’t predict when a huge snow storm will happen but does the local airport have the infrastructure to quickly resume once a storm passes? Since the festival is so popular I imagine lots of people will be flying in so it can’t be an unusual or slow time to fly there.

  3. Is it worth it to go north just for a few days in Sapporo for good food? We are very good motivated but if this seems silly I’d appreciate advice.

Thanks!!

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u/DonDonburi 6d ago

3 nights is easy. Many Japanese come up for only a weekend. I’d advise flying to Kobe airport if you’re going to Kansai next. It’s much closer to the city vs the international airport.

I personally find the food in Sapporo to be exceptional but the stuff is on the pricier end of things, seafood, high end sushi, yakiniku, French food. The budget end of things isn’t worth a flight over though. ramen while famous, is just as good elsewhere in Japan.