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Julian Ryall

Japan’s hugely popular Sapporo Snow Festival is shifting its focus towards protecting the environment and sustainability, with a climate expert warning that global warming and reduced snowfall across Hokkaido will make it increasingly difficult to stage the event.
In August, organisers unveiled a new logo, official mascot and revised concept for the 77th snow festival, an eight-day event running from February 4 next year. The updated branding expresses appreciation for the annual snowfall the northern Japanese city receives.
The new concept – “A festival of gratitude for snow: blessed by the snow” – accompanies the debut of Saporon, a yeti-like mascot with hair twisted into an “S”.
“This rebranding project embodies our desire to shift the perspective that ‘snow is a nuisance’ and evolve the event into a festival where everyone can once again share in the value of snow and express our gratitude,” organisers said in a statement.
“We aim to deepen our collaboration with citizens, visitors and businesses who share our vision, and to create diverse connections, thereby evolving into a sustainable event that will continue into the future.”

The festival has faced mounting challenges in recent years, including rising temperatures and shortages of snow.
Since 1955, the local Ground Self-Defence Force (SDF) garrison has transported snow from outside the city to construct two of the largest sculptures at the Odori Park venue. But their trucks now have to travel much further to collect snow.
In addition, strains on the military – including personnel shortages – mean the SDF will build only one statue from next year.
Other recent challenges include rising prices and labour costs across the three primary festival sites. While the local economy benefits enormously from the influx of domestic and international visitors, murmurings about overtourism are growing.
“I used to go quite a lot, but there are a lot of tourists there now and the whole city centre gets very busy,” said Yoko Tsukamoto, a Sapporo resident and academic.
“I also agree that it is too much to ask the SDF to do so much every year,” she said. “They have to bring in snow from a long way away ahead of the festival and then compact it before it can be carved. On top of their regular duties, that is too much of a burden. I’m happy they will only be making one statue next year.”
Signs of the changing conditions have been apparent for years. During the 2012 festival, a three-metre (9.8-foot) ice statue in Odori Park collapsed onto a tourist, breaking her pelvis. City officials blamed the accident on the base of the statue melting.
In the 15 years Tsukamoto has lived in Sapporo, she has noticed some big differences in the region’s weather.
“The snow is definitely starting later than in the past and ending earlier,” she said. “Last year we seemed to get a lot of snow, but it came in a shorter period and, because it was generally warmer, turned to slush more quickly.”

Tsukamoto pointed out that the city gathered snow from streets every winter and trucked it to a single collection site. Historically, that snow had lasted until mid-June, but she said it melted away by mid-May this year.
Data from the Japan Meteorological Agency shows Sapporo’s average February temperature was minus 1 degree Celsius (30.2 degrees Fahrenheit), with average lows around minus 11 degrees. In February 2000, the monthly average was minus 3.8 degrees, with temperature drops dipping close to minus 15 degrees.
“It was not that long ago that we would get minus 10 degrees regularly through the winter, but we rarely get that any more,” Tsukamoto said.
Takahiro Oyama, a researcher at the National Institute for Environmental Studies’ Centre for Climate Change Adaptation, said the Japanese archipelago was undergoing major shifts in weather patterns.
And while he said parts of northern Japan had experienced “disaster-level” snowfall in early 2026, it was unlikely to become the norm in Hokkaido.
“Generally, snowfall is decreasing year on year,” Oyama said, adding that in a large city like Sapporo, the “heat island effect” also led to elevated temperatures.
“I can imagine a time when Sapporo cannot have a snow festival because it has become too warm,” he said. “Already they are having to import snow from areas around Sapporo for the statues.”
Traditional festivals across Japan are facing similar pressures, with several summer events postponed to cope with extreme heat, while Kyoto’s month-long Gion festival – with its massive wooden float processions and evening street parties – has had to contend with increasingly unpredictable seasonal weather patterns.


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Snow sculptures are lit up at Odori Park in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan in February 2025 on the opening day of the Sapporo Snow Festival. Photo: Kyodo

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Warming winters and military labour shortages are forcing the world-famous Hokkaido event to pivot towards sustainability


Warming winters and military labour shortages are forcing the world-famous Hokkaido event to pivot towards sustainability.


Climate change

Japan’s Sapporo Snow Festival rebrands as snowfall dwindles

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Warming winters and military labour shortages are forcing the world-famous Hokkaido event to pivot towards sustainability

Warming winters and military labour shortages are forcing the world-famous Hokkaido event to pivot towards sustainability