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Hey guys!
Today's video is going to be another seasonal things to do in Japan video, and since I've
already done summer and autumn, today's is going to be (you guessed it!) winter.
As usual I'm going to format this video with five of my favourite things to do in Japan
in winter.
I'm going to be talking about why I liked them and some recommendations for you, like
travel tips and what I recommend doing, and just anything that I think it might be handy
to know before doing these things.
I'm also going to be inserting pictures so that you can see what you might expect from
going to these places throughout the video, and I'll also be linking to my videos of going
to these places throughout the video somewhere up...here?
I don't know which side it is.
Anyway, you'll have a lot of opportunities to see what the places look like throughout
the video, is what I'm trying to say.
Also if you want to see more photos I will be linking to my albums of each place or each...thing?
In the description below, so check that out if you want more information.
All right, let's get into it!
My first recommendation is the yuki-matsuri, or snow festival in Hokkaido.
This is a festival that happens every year, although the dates do change.
It's usually in early February and it's always set up so that there are two weekends for
the festival, so it will always start on a Thursday and end on a Monday, so just make
sure you check the dates before going.
So why I loved it?
It's just...magical.
As someone who comes from New Zealand, we get maybe like one or two snows...not even
that, we get like one snow every couple of years, so snow is something that is kind of
a novelty to me and so seeing all of this snow in one place and all of the ice and the
sculptures that people make and just this whole winter wonderland feel that they make
during the yuki-matsuri was really amazing.
I think it's something that if you're able to do in Japan during winter, it's definitely
worth it, because it's such an experience, it's like a once in a lifetime kind of thing.
So yeah, I really loved it, I think it was so special.
I think it's something that I'll definitely never forget, and as you can see from the
photos that I've hopefully remembered to put in down here somewhere, it was pretty magical,
there's some pretty amazing things to see.
Okay, so some tips that you might like to know before going to Yuki-Matsuri.
As I mentioned before, the dates do change, so make sure you're arriving on the right
dates.
And also as I mentioned before, it does span two weekends, and because the sculptures are
made of ice and snow they will start to get a bit raggedy after the first couple of days,
so I highly recommend going within the first week if you can.
Unfortunately I had to go in the second week, and while it was still absolutely incredible,
I do wish that I could have gone in the first week, just because you could tell that the
sculptures had been out for a while.
So yeah, go as early as you can in the festival season.
The other thing is that the Yuki-Matsuri, while it is kind of billed as this Sapporo-only
kind of thing, a lot of places in Hokkaido do things for the Yuki-Matsuri.
So look up other places that you might like to go.
The Sapporo one takes place down one main street of Sapporo, so you can either walk
or there's shuttles, buses that will take you between all the different places 'cause
it's so popular.
Um, so what I would recommend is booking a hotel that is on or very close to that main
street in Sapporo, and then you can go from there to each place in Sapporo, and if you
want to you can also go to places like Otaru, or the ice caves that I went to, here's a
picture of that.
Um yeah, so there's tons of things to do, make sure that if you have the time, you don't
just spend it in Sapporo, 'cause everywhere is doing this amazing winer wonderland kind
of stuff.
So yep, first recommendation is: Yuki-Matsuri.
My second recommendation is onsen, especially outdoor onsen.
Onsen are amazing all year round, of course, but in my personal opinion they're super magical
in winter.
Something about the super cold air and the really warm water, and the run, when you like
run out in your little towel and jump into the warm water.
It's just incredible, like there's something really fantastic about that feeling of bathing
in nature in like freezing cold weather.
I don't know what it is, but if you've done it I think you'll get what I mean.
So yeah, onsen, especially outdoor onsen in winter, are fantastic.
Now, some things that you might want to know about onsen before going - I'm sure there
are a billion videos like this and a billion articles that you can look at, 'cause onsen
are a pretty big part of Japanese culture, but just some little things that I think are
really important: Number one, in case you didn't know, Japanese people will always be
naked in onsen, it's just how it is.
So expect that.
They will be split into different genders, so it'll be male and female, unless it's a
private onsen, in which case you can go with whoever you want.
But public onsen will be male and female, and you'll go in and be naked with a whole
lot of other people, so that's fun.
Something else to bear in mind is tattoos.
A lot of places in Japan now, especially the more toursity places, are very much accepting
of tattoos in onsen, but bear in mind that some places still aren't.
So it's worth checking ahead, or just being prepared to get turned away if you have very
visible tattoos.
I have a few tattoos, but they're pretty hard to see and I never really had an issue with
that.
Yeah, definitely try to go to an onsen in winter in Japan if you get the chance.
My third recommendation will come as a surprise to no one who's followed my channel for a
little while, and that is the Kobe Luminarie.
The Luminarie are done every single year in Kobe, it's like just a festival of lights,
and it is amazing.
I loved it so much that I went every single year that I lived in Japan, so that tells
you how incredible it is.
Every year they hand paint all the lights into different colours, so there'll be a different
colour scheme every year, and it's just like this tunnel of lights that leads up to...a
cathedral?
A temple of lights, I guess I would call it.
It's spectacular, it's amazing, definitely go.
It happens in December every year, but as with the Yuki-Matsuri, the dates do change,
so just make sure that you check that out before you go.
Wear warm clothing, wear comfortable walking shoes, because you will want to walk around
quite a bit throughout the Luminarie.
I also recommend after the Luminarie, eat dinner in Kobe because it's amazing.
Like Kobe beef, everyone knows, but the food in Kobe in general is spectacular.
Also Kobe Chinatown is super close to the Luminarie, so if you wanna go and do that,
definitely do.
As usual, my fourth recommendation will be a food recommendation, and this time it's
not going to be a specific food, but kind of a...genre of food, and that is themed cafés.
Once again, this will come as a surprise to no one who knows me even in the slightest.
I love themed cafés.
I feel like they're the kind of thing that you either really love them or you just don't
care at all, and I really love them.
I love the novelty, I love the lengths that people will go to to put cute little characters
in food, I love it all.
So if you're like me, winter is the perfect time to go and cosy up in a cute little café
and enjoy some amazingly novelty food.
So, some things that you might like to know or might need to know before going to themed
cafés.
Themed cafés in Japan, I'm not sure about other places, but in Japan they're very limited
time, and they change often, so don't assume that just because you've seen someone going
to a certain café like last year that that will still be there, chances are it won't
be.
However there are a couple of places, like you can just Google what is open in the month
and the year that you're going to Japan, and you should be able to find a couple of places.
There are also a few places that switch between themes, so there's one in Osaka that just
switches its theme every couple of months, there's a whole lot of places like that.
But yeah, just Google and make sure that you check the dates.
The other thing I would say is try not to get too attached to any particular menu item
that you might see online, because a lot of the time they are limited edition and they
are sold out or whatever, so just go in with an open mind as to what you're going to get
from the menu.
But yeah, enjoy themed cafés in winter - there's no better time to enjoy an amazing, adorable
cartoon character coffee.
My fifth and final recommendation is a New Year's shrine visit.
I think especially if you're someone who's living in Japan longer term, visiting a shrine
on New Year is something you should absolutely try to do once.
I really love it because it's a specific Japanese cultural experience that you can't necessarily
get elsewhere and I think that's really amazing, and also you can get Omikuji, which is like
your fortune or your luck for the new year.
Um, I got Omikuji once in my first year in Japan, and it was the worst luck possible,
so I just never did it again, just in case.
But if you wanna try your hand at Omikuji and see what your new year might look like,
definitely do it, I think it's a really interesting thing to do at New Year's.
Some things to be aware of: Number one, of course, this is actually a religious site
that you're going to.
There will be people who are praying, who are paying respect to their ancestors, who
are worshipping.
Bear that in mind and please please please be quiet and respectful.
Of course you already know this, but just in case.
I feel like I have to say it, just in case.
And on that note, most Japanese people do go to shrines on New Year's, usually their
ancestral shrine, so be aware that there will be a lot of people.
I went to Meiji-jingu for New Year's once in Tokyo, and it was just so crowded.
So definitely be prepared for that and be aware that it'll take you a long time to get
through that shrine.
So yeah, fifth and final recommendation: New Year's shrine visit.
Okay, so that wraps up my top five favourite things to do in Japan in winter.
I really hope that if you're visiting Japan in winter that this has been helpful to you,
or if you're living there over winter that this has provided some kind of insight on
what you might like to do.
Please let me know in the comments below if there's things that I missed, or that you
really like doing, 'cause I know that my experience is super limited and I'm sure other people
would like to hear from you as well.
So thank you so much for watching, and I will catch you in the next one.
Peace!