[Hokkaido Five-Day Four-Night Group Tour Diary] Sounkyo Ice Waterfall Festival × Abashiri Ice-Breaker Ship × Otaru Canal × Sapporo Snow Festival

Trip Overview This time it's a group tour I haven't taken in a long, long while — Cola Tours' 5-day, 4-night Hokkaido, Japan trip. In the past, whenever I traveled abroad I always insisted on independent travel, enjoying the fun of planning my own itinerary. But driving yourself around Hokkaido in winter is just too difficult — snow, ice, blizzards, both safety and time were concerns. In the end I decided to leave it to a travel agency, so I could simply relax and enjoy the "being led around" style of travel. Itinerary Outline: Day 1: Arrive in Hokkaido → Sounkyo Ice Waterfall Festival Day 2: Ginga and Ryusei Waterfalls → Abashiri Icebreaker Cruise → Overnight in Shiretoko Day 3: Drift Ice Walk → Lake Mashu → Lake Akan → Tokachigawa Onsen → Sairin-ka Light Show Day 4: Hot Air Balloon Experience → Otaru Canal → Sapporo Snow Festival Day 5: Sapporo Snow Activities → Return Journey Day 1 | Arrival in Hokkaido, Sounkyo Ice Waterfall Season Early in the morning I took a ride to the airport MRT, but I couldn't find the entrance for the longest time, and ended up being intercepted by an illegal taxi, arriving at Taoyuan Terminal 2 feeling a bit anxious. Next came the usual tour group process: check-in, getting the name tag, checking in luggage... After more than three hours of flying, I finally arrived in this frozen, snow-covered northern country.

As soon as we got off the plane, we headed straight to Sounkyo Gorge by car. On the way, we stopped at a rest area and bought a cup of corn chowder that our tour guide recommended — its rich, creamy flavor instantly chased away the chill. It was the first time I truly felt Hokkaido's below-zero, crisp cold air, and seeing my breath turn into white mist against the snowy scenery was absolutely thrilling.

After a short rest, we continue for about another hour by car to reach the Sounkyo Ice Fall Festival, a stunning ice sculpture landscape created by local residents using frozen flowing water during the harsh winter. Although not as large in scale as the Harbin Ice Festival, you can still feel the heartfelt romantic winter atmosphere carefully crafted by the local community.

We stayed at the traditional Japanese-style Souunkaku Hotel for the night, and although the dinner buffet was quite ordinary, the outdoor fireworks gave the trip a perfect start.

After finishing our meal, we geared up and headed out for an adventure! It just so happened that Hokkaido was hit by a snowstorm that day, with temperatures around -20 degrees. The wind and snow stung our cheeks, and a 10-minute walk felt incredibly far — it really felt like a true adventure~

During this trip, the hotels for three of the nights have hot springs, so every day I got to put on a yukata and go enjoy the open-air onsen, experiencing that feeling of the towel on my head freezing while my body stays nice and warm.

Day 2 | Ginga (Galaxy) Waterfall, Ryusei (Meteor) Waterfall, Abashiri Icebreaker Ship In the morning, we'll first visit the Ginga Waterfall and Ryusei Waterfall — in winter, the frozen falls turn into white silk threads, like a work of art where time itself has frozen.

We arrived in Abashiri at noon and boarded the winter-only icebreaker ship. The vessel cleaved through the thick drift ice, the roaring sound of ice cracking filling our ears, while eagles circled in the sky above and, now and then, wild animals could be seen resting on the floating ice. Although we didn't happen to encounter any seals this time, the whole voyage was still full of delightful surprises one after another.

I especially love the drift ice beer sold on board — the blue drink paired with the fragrance of lychee, cold and smooth going down. I can't help wanting to bring a few bottles home.

We had Chinese food at a tea house club, and all the ingredients were seafood (salmon, scallops, sweet shrimp, etc.). I especially loved their grilled scallops, they were incredibly fresh and sweet!

In the evening, we checked in to KIKI Shiretoko Hotel. Although the room was simple, the meal was the best one we had in days, and on top of that, the small supermarket nearby sold imported wine that was cheap and delicious — we bought a 500-yen bottle of champagne to toast with. Little moments of happiness like this on a trip are the ones that stay with you.

Day 3｜Drift Ice Walk, Lake Mashu, Tokachi Sairinka This was the most thrilling day of the whole trip. We got up at 5am, put on professional cold-weather suits, and set off on the unforgettable drift ice walk. Stepping across ice floes of uneven thickness, every step came with a crackling sound, and at the end everyone broke through the ice together and jumped into the freezing sea water — that moment made our hearts race, but it was also the most exhilarating memory. (Just like in Okinawa, there's a Taiwanese interpreter helping out here, so you can join even if you're traveling independently)

We then headed to Lake Mashu. This caldera lake is shrouded in mist and clouds almost year-round, but we were incredibly lucky to catch it on a clear day. The deep blue surface lay calm and still, so pure it took our breath away — no wonder it's hailed as "Japan's most beautiful lake.

We arrived at Lake Akan in the afternoon. Lake Akan is surrounded front and back by two mountains—Mount Oakan and Mount Meakan. Oakan is steep and handsome in shape, while Meakan is comparatively rounder and gentler. Lake Akan has a unique plant found nowhere else in the world—marimo (green ball algae). Marimo was first discovered in 1897, and it takes many years of accumulated growth to form; it is now a protected species, and what's sold in the ordinary shopping streets is artificially cultivated.

In the evening, we'll stay in the Tokachi River Great Plain, where the hot springs are "phyto-thermal springs" with a faint woody fragrance—soaking in the water while taking in the snowy scenery lets you relax completely, both body and mind. At night, we'll join the Sairinka Illumination Show, where colorful lights sparkle across the snow, paired with a special festival drink—a treat made by melting chocolate directly into milk.

Day 4｜Hot air balloon, Otaru Canal, Sapporo Snow Festival In the morning we took part in a hot air balloon ride. Although it only rose to a height of 30 meters, we could still look down over the snow-white land.

Next we came to the Otaru Canal, one of my favorite places. The vintage warehouses along the canal covered in snow are as beautiful as a painting, whether by day or night. Along the way, we tasted the Kitakaro cream puffs and LeTAO cheesecake, and every bite was so satisfying.

The Chinese restaurant is housed in a converted building that used to be a bank, and its signature feature is a restroom built inside the old vault on the first floor.

We returned to Sapporo in the evening and checked into the Premier Hotel. For dinner, we finally enjoyed the all-you-can-eat three crab feast we'd been looking forward to — though the quality wasn't quite as good as ordering à la carte, it was still a great chance to try snow crab, hairy crab, and king crab all in one meal.

Visiting the Sapporo Snow Festival at night, the snow sculptures in Odori Park paired with light and sound effects, and there was even a Hatsune Miku hologram concert projection — it made me truly feel the grand winter celebration of Hokkaido.

這邊推薦吃飯->逛街(非藥妝)->回飯店放戰利品->冰雕季->藥妝店的流程，因為貍小路的藥妝店通常都會開到1-2點，所以放在最後去。 Day 5｜札幌雪上活動、返程 最後一天到郊外的雪上樂園，體驗雪地摩托車、雪上香蕉船等活動。雖然是為觀光客設計的景點，但也替這趟旅行劃下熱鬧的句點。

I flew back to Taiwan in the afternoon, but my heart was still full of memories of Hokkaido's snowy scenery and hot springs. Trip Summary and Reflections This time, after a long while, I joined a group tour, and although it lacked the freedom of independent travel, it brought more peace of mind and convenience in return, especially given Hokkaido's harsh winter climate. The most unforgettable moments were definitely the drift ice walk and the clear sky over Lake Mashu — that kind of awe-inspiring natural beauty can only truly be understood by experiencing it in person. And then there was walking down the road at night in a snowstorm, the cold wind stinging my cheeks, yet feeling like I was in the middle of a real "adventure." If I have the chance in the future, I'd love to visit Hokkaido again — maybe in spring for cherry blossoms, or summer for flowers — but winter Hokkaido will always remain the purest white, most magnificent page in my travel memories.