Japan Sapporo Snow Festival

This ten-night escorted tour with Explore Worldwide begins in Tokyo, where the city's scale is immediately clear — over one quarter of Japan’s population lives within a 50 km radius. The walking tour takes in the oldest temple, Senso-ji, before a short boat ride to Odaiba’s futuristic attractions and visits to Meiji Jingu and the famously busy Shibuya crossing.

Next, a flight whisks the group north to Abashiri on Hokkaido’s Sea of Okhotsk coast. The highlight here is a cruise among drift ice, sometimes accompanied by sea eagles and seals awkwardly perched on frozen floes. Following a lengthy bus journey to Sapporo, the focus shifts to the annual Snow Festival where giant snow statues and ice bars provide a rare winter spectacle not easily experienced elsewhere.

The journey continues with rail travel to Hakodate, where a blend of Western and Japanese architecture reflects its role as an early foreign trade port, then on to Kyoto, Japan’s serene former capital. Here, temples with carefully tended zen gardens share space with modern life, including a private tea ceremony. The tour ends after a free day to explore Kyoto or nearby Nara at leisure.

These are the places the trip visits, in order. Explore Worldwide publishes the day-by-day itinerary on its own site.