Need help with Hokkaido in December.

[parchiao]

I will be to Japan for 2 weeks beginning from early December and am planning to spend about 5 days in Hokkaido with the family. The rest will be in other parts of Japan, of which I have been to a couple of times.

So the first question is what should I wear and how much to prepare? I have the notion that Hokkaido is very cold and there will be snow. I am familiar with winter conditions in Tokyo, London, Paris and even New York without any snow ie temperatures that can drop to -2 degrees celsius. With Hokkaido, it looks to be different and I cannot use lightweight layering. So base, mid and outer layers for upper body, base and outer layer for the lower body. What about the head, hands and feet? What kind of protection from the cold do I need? Where shoes are concerned, do I really need water and weather proof shoes or boots? What do you use and where do you buy them? I read that pavements can be slippery.

Where getting to and fro from Hokkaido is concerned, do you all take the train or fly there? I might use a luggage delivery service if I take the train. But if I were to fly, I would most likely treat that as my first destination, so the luggage stays with me. My spring board to the country will be Tokyo, that is where I will fly to from Singapore.

Suggestions and comments appreciated.

 

[chaotah]

I will be to Japan for 2 weeks beginning from early December and am planning to spend about 5 days in Hokkaido with the family. The rest will be in other parts of Japan, of which I have been to a couple of times.

So the first question is what should I wear and how much to prepare? I have the notion that Hokkaido is very cold and there will be snow. I am familiar with winter conditions in Tokyo, London, Paris and even New York without any snow ie temperatures that can drop to -2 degrees celsius. With Hokkaido, it looks to be different and I cannot use lightweight layering. So base, mid and outer layers for upper body, base and outer layer for the lower body. What about the head, hands and feet? What kind of protection from the cold do I need? Where shoes are concerned, do I really need water and weather proof shoes or boots? What do you use and where do you buy them? I read that pavements can be slippery.

Where getting to and fro from Hokkaido is concerned, do you all take the train or fly there? I might use a luggage delivery service if I take the train. But if I were to fly, I would most likely treat that as my first destination, so the luggage stays with me. My spring board to the country will be Tokyo, that is where I will fly to from Singapore.

Suggestions and comments appreciated.

even if you take the new shinkansen you will need 8-10 hrs to train from tokyo to hokkaido. and 5 days in hokkaido might not be a worth it trip as 5 days you probably can only cover sapporo + 1 or 2 more nearby town.

 

[parchiao]

even if you take the new shinkansen you will need 8-10 hrs to train from tokyo to hokkaido. and 5 days in hokkaido might not be a worth it trip as 5 days you probably can only cover sapporo + 1 or 2 more nearby town.

That's alright. I can always visit Hokkaido the following year. This visit is just to have a feel of the place.

 

[dimitri_can]

How does ur itinerary look like now?
Can give a brief look?
e.g

Day 1-5: Enter via Narita, take train to Hokkaido
Day 6-8: Osaka

 

[parchiao]

How does ur itinerary look like now?
Can give a brief look?
e.g

Day 1-5: Enter via Narita, take train to Hokkaido
Day 6-8: Osaka

I have not confirmed the arrangements, but would hope to do so in the next two weeks. So when I say 5 days in Hokkaido, it could be more and less time for other places. I have been to Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo numerous times, so these are not at the top of my agenda. The primary objectives of the trip are (1) get a feel of Hokkaido as I might return for a ski trip in the following December or even visit in summer and (2) take a long Shinkansen trip and hop from Tokyo to Osaka/Kyoto to Hiroshima and then back to Tokyo and (3) sightseeing by Shinkansen. My original idea was to take the Shinkansen from the top all the day down, but kinda shelved the idea when I read that the Shinkansen travels pretty close to Fukushima.

What I don't wish to do is tour the whole of Hokkaido, not my idea of a holiday if I were to rush to do everything. I could actually just cover Sapporo and maybe 2 other places so 5 days sounds about right.

 

[asiafrenz]

hokkaido typically starts snowing from late november/early december so you can imagine it gets to 0 C and below and as you get closer to late december, it gets colder. This give u an idea what to wear

 

[droozy]

is it full 5 days exclusive of first day landing?
Cover with cap, shawl, socks and boots ?
Goog gloves if you keep taking photos
I use lightwt layering. Heat tech from uniqlo can help..

 

[oceanicmanta]

if snow is melting, pavement will be slippery. weather proof shoes will be good to keep feet dry

for ears, i just buy a pair of ear mufflers from daiso in japan. it worked better than my beanie
for neck, i bot neck warmers, also from daiso, plus scarf
for hands, if u hv leather gloves with fur/fleece inner lining shld be ideal. mine no lining & the cold wind was piercing. if u r skiing, ski gloves work but bulky

for bottom, we wore wind/water proof "snow" pants with fleece inner lining. top was thin layers with down jacket. anything that can keep the wind out will be effective. the wind chill is the real menace.

shld be fine within cities like sapporo & manageable. pavements will be snow covered etc.
going beyond, will see a lot more snow & wind chill.

 

[oceanicmanta]

last Nov, we caught some unexpected early snowfall while staying in Akan
in just 8 hrs overnight, there was 1 feet of snow on top of my rental car
it was the heaviest snow fall in Hokkaido for Nov in 60 yrs ...
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/11/japan-sapporo-surprised-sudden-snow-151126094756184.html

 

[wongkc]

last Nov, we caught some unexpected early snowfall while staying in Akan
in just 8 hrs overnight, there was 1 feet of snow on top of my rental car
it was the heaviest snow fall in Hokkaido for Nov in 60 yrs ...
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/11/japan-sapporo-surprised-sudden-snow-151126094756184.html

last yr was quite a freak winter for hokkaido... its first snow started very early in october... then it stopped and very little snow until mid december... i was in niseko in mid december and the area was still not fully covered in snow but luckily the ski resort was opened then... the reception told us she never saw niseko so little snow by december... usually is cannot see the road liaoz...

maybe akan is further north and got more snow...

 

[parchiao]

last Nov, we caught some unexpected early snowfall while staying in Akan
in just 8 hrs overnight, there was 1 feet of snow on top of my rental car
it was the heaviest snow fall in Hokkaido for Nov in 60 yrs ...
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/11/japan-sapporo-surprised-sudden-snow-151126094756184.html

Wah, die liao lah. Minus 7 to minus 21, and limited day time too.

 

[parchiao]

if snow is melting, pavement will be slippery. weather proof shoes will be good to keep feet dry

for ears, i just buy a pair of ear mufflers from daiso in japan. it worked better than my beanie
for neck, i bot neck warmers, also from daiso, plus scarf
for hands, if u hv leather gloves with fur/fleece inner lining shld be ideal. mine no lining & the cold wind was piercing. if u r skiing, ski gloves work but bulky

for bottom, we wore wind/water proof "snow" pants with fleece inner lining. top was thin layers with down jacket. anything that can keep the wind out will be effective. the wind chill is the real menace.

shld be fine within cities like sapporo & manageable. pavements will be snow covered etc.
going beyond, will see a lot more snow & wind chill.

What beanie did you get that was not good enough? I have one in 210 wool, but after reading your experience from last year, I think I might have to get double lined ones.

For bottom, did you try wearing jeans? I get the feeling it will not be enough even with a base layer, so I might have to buy pants as well.

For shoes, was it slippery for you? What kind of soles did your shoes have?

 

[Nalgene123]

I will be to Japan for 2 weeks beginning from early December and am planning to spend about 5 days in Hokkaido with the family. The rest will be in other parts of Japan, of which I have been to a couple of times.

So the first question is what should I wear and how much to prepare? I have the notion that Hokkaido is very cold and there will be snow. I am familiar with winter conditions in Tokyo, London, Paris and even New York without any snow ie temperatures that can drop to -2 degrees celsius. With Hokkaido, it looks to be different and I cannot use lightweight layering. So base, mid and outer layers for upper body, base and outer layer for the lower body. What about the head, hands and feet? What kind of protection from the cold do I need? Where shoes are concerned, do I really need water and weather proof shoes or boots? What do you use and where do you buy them? I read that pavements can be slippery.

Where getting to and fro from Hokkaido is concerned, do you all take the train or fly there? I might use a luggage delivery service if I take the train. But if I were to fly, I would most likely treat that as my first destination, so the luggage stays with me. My spring board to the country will be Tokyo, that is where I will fly to from Singapore.

Suggestions and comments appreciated.

Early December base on the last few years...you might or might not get snow fall in the Northern and Southern part of Hokkaido which includes Sapporo and Hakodate.....to see snowfall...you have to go to the central area of Hokkaido..the area of Asahikawa and Furano will be a safe bet to see snow even in early Dec..these places see the heaviest snow fall in the whole of Japan during the winter months....

For footwear...it depends on where you go...if you are just in Sapporo where snow levels might not be too high in the city...normal covered shoes can also wear..but it's preferable to get boots...if travelling to places where there are heavy snow fall...just wear boots unless you want to have wet socks..for clothings....i basically wore three layers the last time i was there in December...a uniqlo heatech for first layer...long sleeve shirt for the second layer and a down feather jacket.....the winter in Hokkaido can be quite harsh even in December especially if you are in the central part of Hokkaido....which i found to be colder than say Sapporo

You can now take the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Hakodate with the new line opening up earlier this year...but i believe most people still prefer to stop at Tokyo to take a flight to Hokkaido...I've tried using the luggage delivery service from Sapporo to Tokyo..it's really no frills..and the charges are quite afforable...around 20SGD for a single large luggage..

 

[oceanicmanta]

my beanie is acryllic not-lined, $10, bot in hokkaido
i think double lined is needed, regardless of material, to keep out the wind
i only wore running shoes, so had to be careful.

in sapporo, i wore those columbia "chino" slacks, no inner wear. even at 5C, cannot tahan the wind. the area around the knees very cold

I got one snow pants from UT & another cheap one from HK - both with fleece inner lining & these worked ... in the end, dint need my new uniqlo or wool long johns

main thing was to keep out the wind

for boots, if u really need, can buy in Sapporo dept stores. around $45

 

[oceanicmanta]

For bottom, did you try wearing jeans? I get the feeling it will not be enough even with a base layer, so I might have to buy pants as well.

ditch your jeans, get snow pants in case u have the urge to do this

cannot resist on powder snow

 

[parchiao]

Early December base on the last few years...you might or might not get snow fall in the Northern and Southern part of Hokkaido which includes Sapporo and Hakodate.....to see snowfall...you have to go to the central area of Hokkaido..the area of Asahikawa and Furano will be a safe bet to see snow even in early Dec..these places see the heaviest snow fall in the whole of Japan during the winter months....

For footwear...it depends on where you go...if you are just in Sapporo where snow levels might not be too high in the city...normal covered shoes can also wear..but it's preferable to get boots...if travelling to places where there are heavy snow fall...just wear boots unless you want to have wet socks..for clothings....i basically wore three layers the last time i was there in December...a uniqlo heatech for first layer...long sleeve shirt for the second layer and a down feather jacket.....the winter in Hokkaido can be quite harsh even in December especially if you are in the central part of Hokkaido....which i found to be colder than say Sapporo

You can now take the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Hakodate with the new line opening up earlier this year...but i believe most people still prefer to stop at Tokyo to take a flight to Hokkaido...I've tried using the luggage delivery service from Sapporo to Tokyo..it's really no frills..and the charges are quite afforable...around 20SGD for a single large luggage..

Thank you! This is really useful to know. I was afraid of snow, now also need to be afraid of no snow.

I will most likely be using the luggage delivery service for the second part of my trip when I do the Shinkansen thing between Tokyo and Hiroshima. But you might be right to suggest that I use the delivery service when flying out of Sapporo to Tokyo. Which leaves me with a question. How did you get from Chitose to Sapporo with all the luggage?

 

[parchiao]

ditch your jeans, get snow pants in case u have the urge to do this

cannot resist on powder snow

Thank you for the details, these helps to gauge if what I am looking out for is sufficient. Yes, I want to do that too! My kids already told me, trip is no count and considered write off it they cannot do that.

So snow pants is a must. $$$ again.

 

[evilerniex]

Thank you for the details, these helps to gauge if what I am looking out for is sufficient. Yes, I want to do that too! My kids already told me, trip is no count and considered write off it they cannot do that.

So snow pants is a must. $$$ again.

recommend that u get waterproof boots if u want to do that.
once the snow melts when u get indoors, the water will soak into ur shoes if it is not waterproof. ur feet is going to be freezing and uncomfortable

 

[s7460597]

Don't forget windproof gloves, head wear and something to cover ears.

 

[Nalgene123]

Thank you! This is really useful to know. I was afraid of snow, now also need to be afraid of no snow.

I will most likely be using the luggage delivery service for the second part of my trip when I do the Shinkansen thing between Tokyo and Hiroshima. But you might be right to suggest that I use the delivery service when flying out of Sapporo to Tokyo. Which leaves me with a question. How did you get from Chitose to Sapporo with all the luggage?

There's direct train access from Chitose to Sapporo...duration of ride is 30mins....for luggage delivery...it's more ideal to sent from Sapporo to Tokyo or vice versa if you are taking airplane...it saves you a lot of hassle in terms of the check in process and you won't have to wait for your luggage upon arrival...and bearing in mind...the airport express from Sapporo to Chitose is also a train service (unlike the NEX in tokyo) utilized heavily by local commuters...so during rush hour...the train will confirmed be packed..