We Traveled to the WORLD'S SNOWIEST CITY (back in Japan!)

@Kara and Nate

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A journey through Japan's snowiest cities, from Sapporo's Snow Festival and ramen alley to skiing Niseko's deep powder and exploring Aomori's local fish market and snow monsters.

2 days · 7 places · 5 experiences

Day 1 · 3 places · Sapporo, Japan

Sapporo Winter Festival & Ramen Day

“On day one, we explored the Sapporo Snow Festival and then dove into Ramen Alley for dinner.”

Experience · 2 places
Explore the Sapporo Snow Festival
We arrived in Sapporo just in time for the last day of the Snow Festival, which is a pretty big deal. The main attraction is these intricately carved snowmen and ice sculptures placed all around Odori Park. To get a new appreciation for how big it is, go up the Sapporo TV Tower for an aerial view. It's impressive, but be warned, the building might shake a bit!
1
Sapporo Snow Festival
Museum · Sapporo
3.0 (3)Closed · opens tomorrow 9 AM
Creator's voice
An annual winter festival in Sapporo, known for its massive and intricately carved snow and ice sculptures displayed across Odori Park and other sites. It's a major event, drawing large crowds. Free to enter.
Sapporo Snow Festival Museum, 1 Hitsujigaoka, Toyohira Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 062-0045, Japan
Boiled sweet potato — A warm, boiled sweet potato bought from a minivan stall at the festival. It's surprisingly amazing and the best sweet potato I've ever had.
2
Sapporo TV Tower
Tourist attraction
4.1 (554)Closed · opens tomorrow 9 AM
Creator's voice
A TV tower offering panoramic views of Sapporo, including an aerial perspective of the Sapporo Snow Festival when it's held in Odori Park.
Sapporo TV Tower, 1 Chome Odorinishi, Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0042, Japan
Experience · 1 place
Dine at Sapporo's Ramen Alley
Ramen Alley is an alleyway filled with about 30 tiny ramen shops, each seating only six to eight people. It's a huge decision to pick one, but we went back to our tried and true spot from the night before. Sapporo is known for its miso ramen, which is what we got last night (the spicy miso ramen, 10/10). Today, we took a risk with the butter corn cheese ramen, which sounded strange. It wasn't bad, but it tipped away from the other ramen flavors I love, so I wouldn't recommend it. Stick to the miso ramen!
3
Ramen Alley
Ramen restaurant · Columbus
4.8Closed
Unfussy restaurant whipping up noodle soups, rice bowls, gyoza & mochi, plus craft & Japanese beers.
Ramen Alley | Japanese, 217 Washington St Ste D, Columbus, IN 47201
Spicy miso ramen — The spicy miso ramen from our favorite stall in Ramen Alley. It was a 10 out of 10, a perfect meal after a long day.
Butter corn cheese ramen — A unique ramen with butter, corn, and cheese. It sounds strange and, while not bad, it deviates from the classic ramen flavors I prefer. I wouldn't recommend it over the miso ramen.

Day 6 · 2 places · Aomori, Japan

Aomori Fish Market & Snow Monsters

“On day six, we arrived in Aomori to explore the local fish market and then ventured to Mount Hakkoda to see the snow monsters.”

Experience · 1 place
Build your own poke bowl at Aomori Fish Market
Aomori is one of Japan's largest fishing ports, so we came to the local fish market for a unique culinary experience. The way it works is you buy a bowl of white rice and a bunch of tickets at the front (2000 Yen for a gigantic bowl of rice and 8 tickets). Then, you take your rice bowl around the market and trade tickets for whatever fresh fish looks best, creating your own custom poke bowl. It's the freshest it could possibly be! I got tuna, a mystery fish, scallop, salmon, shrimp, and a seaweed soup. The fish here doesn't taste fishy; it melts in your mouth. It's hard to go back to US sushi after this. Remember to lay your chopsticks on your bowl, not stick them in the rice, to avoid looking like a tourist.
4
Aomori Gyosai Center (Nokkedon Market)
Seafood market · Aomori
4.1Closed · opens tomorrow 7 AM
Creator's voice
A local fish market in Aomori, one of Japan's largest fishing ports, famous for its 'Nokkedon' experience. Visitors buy a bowl of rice and tickets, then exchange tickets for fresh seafood toppings from various stalls to create their own custom seafood bowl.
Aomori Gyosai Center (Aomori Nokkedon), 1 Chome-11-16 Furukawa, Aomori, 030-0862, Japan
Tuna sashimi — Incredibly fresh tuna sashimi, especially important to try in Aomori, a major fishing port. It's the freshest tuna I've ever had, melting in your mouth without any fishy taste.
Mystery fish sashimi — A delicious, melt-in-your-mouth mystery fish that my best friend recommended. It was fantastic.
Scallop sashimi — Fresh scallop sashimi, so good it made me want to only eat fish at fish markets from now on.
Salmon sashimi — Beautifully orange and incredibly fresh salmon sashimi, possibly the best I've ever had.
Shrimp sashimi — Fresh shrimp sashimi, a fun addition to the custom poke bowl.
Seaweed soup — A warm seaweed soup, available for just one ticket at the market. It's a great accompaniment to the fresh seafood.
Experience · 1 place
Witness the Snow Monsters of Mount Hakkoda
We took a bus to Mount Hakkoda, home to a phenomenon called 'snow monsters' that only happens in a few places in Japan. These are trees covered in snow, formed when freezing cold wind freezes moisture onto the trees, creating a base for snow to grab onto, turning them into white pillars. The gondola ride up is huge, and everything is completely frozen and white. It's incredibly cool, but also extremely cold, making your eyeballs feel like they're freezing. I felt conflicted, wanting to see this amazing sight but also wanting to go back inside due to the extreme weather.
5
Mount Hakkoda
Mountain range · Aomori
4.5 (321)
Group of stratovolcanoes & lava domes offering skiing, hiking, hot springs & an aerial cable car.
Hakkōda Mountains, Fukazawa Komagome, Aomori, 030-0955, Japan
Hot green tea in a can — A hot green tea served in an aluminum can, perfect for warming up in the freezing cold conditions on Mount Hakkoda. It's surprisingly good.

Also in this video

6
Sapporo Beer Garden & Museum
Beer hall
4.2 (558)Closed · opens tomorrow 11:30 AM
Creator's voice
The historic site where Sapporo Beer is made. It's a place to stop and enjoy a Sapporo beer in the city where it originated.
Sapporo Beer Garden, 9 Chome-2-10 Kita 7 Johigashi, Higashi Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 065-0007, Japan
Experience · 1 place
Ski the legendary powder of Niseko
We've never skied outside the US before, and Niseko is home to one of, if not the best, ski resorts in Japan. The conditions are perfect, with deep powder and snow falling constantly. The chairlifts even have plastic covers to keep the snow off your face! It snows every day here, with the resort getting over 400 inches of snow annually. We found a completely vegan ramen spot that we loved so much we went twice – it has thick, beautiful noodles and a broth with chili oil. It was the perfect end to a perfect day of skiing.
7
Niseko United
Ski resort · Kutchan
4.5 (16)
Full-service ski area with shops, eateries, lessons, a snow park & hiking in the summer.
Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu, 4-chome-5-18 Nisekohirafu 1 Jo, Kutchan, Abuta District, Hokkaido 044-0080, Japan
Onigiri · ¥200 — My favorite snack in the world: rice wrapped with seaweed, magically packaged so the rice and seaweed don't touch until you unwrap it. They're super cheap, about $1.50 at convenience stores, and were a lifesaver on our first trip to Japan.
Vegan ramen — A completely vegan ramen with thick, beautiful noodles and a delicious broth with chili oil. We loved it so much we ate here twice.

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