TerryK

Does it make sense to visit Sapporo in March? I am planning a one week ski vacation in Hokkaido in March. Does it make sense to stay in Sapporo for two days or skip Sapproro and go straight to Niseko for one week? I have been to Japan a few times but never in Hokkaido.

jpatokal

Sapporo is not going to be pretty that time of year (early spring = lots of grey slush), and the city is not blessed with a huge amount of attractions. We were considering a trip ourselves in April, but a local friend emphatically recommended against it and told us to come in summer instead.

On the upside, it does have some pretty good eating, reasonably lively nightlife, the Sapporo Beer Museum, the Sapporo Beer Garden, and, uhh, that's about it, unless you're keen on checking out the local Eiffel replica and the exotic Western clocktower.

ELthesax

I live in Hokkaido and visit Sapporo 1-2 times a month. The weather has been pretty odd this year with it warming up about a month earlier than usual. That being said, since you'll be flying into Shin-chitose anyway, why not stop by? Not sure how big of a ski guy you are, but an entire week sounds a bit tiring.

Hokkaido in general has great eats and Sapporo especially has some pretty cool places to check out. Yes, it may be mushy out, but the underground walkways and subways make it (somewhat) easy to get around. I could easily spend a day just wandering around in the station!

TerryK

Thanks all for the advice.^

infinii

Just wondering if Sapporo will still be grey and slushy at end of April. Might consider trying to catch the tail end of cherry blossoms in the last week of Apr.

Although, the comments of not much to do/see are making me second guess.

Chihster

So did you ever end up skiing there in March?? If so, how was it? Care to share your experience?

Thanks.

abmj-jr

I don't know if I quite agree that there is nothing to see. I was able to fill a couple of days seeing and photographing sites around town in the fall. The botanical garden at Hokkaido University is nice as is the night view from atop Mt. Moiwa and there are some interesting old buildings.

All the above notwithstanding though, I did find Hakodate, about three hours away by train, to be much more interesting and scenic. If I had a couple of days at the end of April to go to Hokkaido, I'd go there instead of Sapporo. The sakura should be in full bloom then. And the crab is always good. :-)

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2011.html

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/r.../hakodate.html

YariGuy

Not March, but April. I've gone to Niseko (not Sapporo) to ski in December, January, and April. I think by April it's pretty dead, and a lot of the restaurants are closed. Many lifts are closed. However, the skiing itself is fine. Last April (2014) it snowed April 5, 6, and 7 (April 7 was 5cm).

Most everything closes after the first week, but they re-open at the end of April / beginning of May for one last hurrah (Golden Week).

I would say March is probably better - everything still open, but lesser crowds than Jan / Feb.

I'll be going again starting this weekend (so April again) and will report back.

stephem

I had looked at this thread before our trip last week and so thought I would add some addition 2 cents.

We spent Thursday and Friday skiing in Niseko (Mar 31 and April 1). It had snowed just a week before, but we saw a few days before arriving that the forecast was for a huge spike in temps, but lots of sun. It was gorgeous, pretty warm where the sun was shining but still a good chill in the air from the wind. But the snow was like slush from the early sun beating down on it (sunrise is like 5am this time of year, so 4 hours of sun already if you head out at 10am). If you are seeking out the famous powder this area has to offer, I think mid-March is the latest you should plan to go. We were largely scouting out for a family vacation either next year or the year after, so it was fun even though we had the same spring conditions we could have found right near our house...

Sapporo was an interesting stopover, we did it largely because my wife's grandmothers family is from the area and we were trying to arrange a meet up (never materialized). We didn't have much time, but liked the JR Nikko hotel and found lots of great food. It was bitter cold when we woke up the second day, wow, it's a different world from a weather standpoint than Tokyo!