All Reviews for Winter Sightseeing Tours

First and foremost, I felt reassured. They safely took us from Sapporo to the frozen snowy roads of Lake Shikotsu. It was a mountain path that I definitely couldn't have navigated on my own. Then, when I suddenly saw the vast Lake Shikotsu, it was breathtaking. While feeling the cold wind from Lake Shikotsu, a world of ice awaited us. The ice mountains, caves, and ice pillars, along with beautifully lit sculptures, were truly moving. It became a wonderful page in my Hokkaido travel experience. Thank you very much.

まず安心だった事が一番です。
札幌から支笏湖の凍りつく雪道を安全に連れて行ってくださることです。
とてもじゃないけど自力に行けない山道でした。
そして突然海かと思うほど大きな支笏湖が見えた時 感動でした。
支笏湖の冷たい風を受けながら氷の世界が待ってます。
氷の山や洞窟や氷の柱 美しくライトアップされた彫刻など とても感動的でした。
北海道旅行の素晴らしい1ページとなりました。
ありがとうございました。

I felt安心 knowing there was a tour guide with us. The local winds were stronger than I imagined, but it wasn't too bad once we left the lake. I wanted to visit the souvenir shops lined up in the woods, but with only an hour and a half to stay, I barely had time for sightseeing and a restroom break. I thought it was a shame that we couldn't depart at 1 or 2 PM instead of 3 PM, as we could have enjoyed some tea and bought souvenirs then. I really appreciated the help since I couldn't have driven there myself. Thank you for the wonderful plan. If there’s a tour for Lake Toya, I would love to join!

添乗員さんが付いていますから安心できました。現地は想像以上の強風でしたが、湖をはなれるとそれほどでも無かったです。林間に並ぶお土産やさんに立ち入りたかったけれど、滞在時間1時間半では、見学とトイレで精一杯。3時出発ではなく1時間や2時の出発なら、現地でお茶をしたりお土産も買えるのに残念と思いました。自分で運転してはとても行かれないので、非常に助かりました。素敵な企画を有り難うごさいます。あるなら洞爺湖ツアーも参加したいです。

I wasn't confident about driving in Sapporo during winter, and taking public transportation seemed challenging, so I decided to sign up for a bus tour. The meeting point was close to Sapporo Station and easy to find.

As for the Ice Festival, it was wonderful. I was able to enjoy both the twilight before sunset and the illumination afterwards. Since it was a holiday on the first day of the festival, it was extremely crowded, and it took a while to get into the parking lot, with long lines inside the venue as well, but I had a great time!

I also recommend that if you have extra time, you can return to the bus early.

冬の札幌で車を運転する自信もなく、かといって公共交通機関で行くのも大変そうなので、バスツアーに申し込んでみました。
待ち合わせ場所は札幌駅から近く、分かりやすかったです。
肝心の氷濤まつりですが、素晴らしいかったです。
陽が沈み切る前の夕暮れ時について、ライトアップ前と後の両方を楽しめました。
氷濤まつり初日の休日だった為か大混雑で、駐車場に入るのに時間がかかったり、会場内でも行列が出来ていたりで時間が足りないくらいでしたが、十分に楽しめました！
時間が余った時は、早めにバスに戻る事も可能との事でおすすめです。

The ice sculptures were very beautiful and enjoyable! In addition to the stunning ice sculptures, there were observation decks to climb, a corner where you could roast marshmallows inside the ice structures, and a corner that resembled an ice café. I thought it was a unique experience that can only be had during this season. I was worried about the cold, but I didn't feel it too much, perhaps because I was dressed warmly. It might also have been thanks to the lack of wind. However, it was disappointing that there were too many people on the first Saturday of the event, so I couldn't fully enjoy it. There were long lines, and due to the scheduled meeting times, there were some monuments we couldn't enter. For those who want to see everything thoroughly, I think there wasn't enough time. Because it was crowded, there was a waiting time while the guide arranged the tickets, and I felt that time was wasted.

氷像がとても綺麗で楽しめました！綺麗な氷像の他、登って楽しめる展望台や、氷の建造物の中でマシュマロを焼けるコーナーや氷のカフェのようなコーナーもあり、この季節にしかできないユニークな体験だと思いました。心配していた寒さも着込んでいたせいか然程感じませんでした。風があんまりなかったおかげかもしれません。ただ、開催初日の土曜日ということで人が多すぎてじっくり楽しめなかったのが残念です。長蛇の列ができており、集合時間の関係で中に入れないモニュメントもありました。全てをしっかり見て回りたい人にとっては時間が足りないと思います。混雑していたせいでガイドさんがチケットを手配する間に待ち時間が発生していたのでその時間がもったいなかったなと感じました。

I planned a trip with the purpose of attending the Sapporo Snow Festival, but after receiving advice from my son’s wife, who has experience living in Hokkaido, I quickly booked a tour.

The scale was smaller compared to the Snow Festival, but it's hard to express in words, so please check the photos. The journey included encounters with deer and sights like Lake Shikotsu, making the trip to the venue full of highlights.

It seems you can also get there using public transportation, but considering the cold and the thought of waiting in line, it was a great success to follow the advice and go with the tour. The guide was very friendly and introduced us to various attractions, making for a truly enjoyable time.

札幌雪まつりを目的に旅行を計画しましたが、
北海道に在住した経験のある、長男の奥さん
からのアドバイスがあり、急遽、ツアーに
予約しました。
規模は、雪まつりに比べ小規模でしたが、
言葉では、表せないので、写真を確認下さい。
道中の鹿との遭遇や支笏湖など、会場までの
道のりも見どころ満載でした。
共通交通機関でも行けるようですが、寒いなか
行列に並んでの移動を考えると、アドバイス通り
ツアーにして大成功でした。
ガイドさんも、とてもアットホームなで色々
見どころなど紹介して頂け、大変楽しい時間
でした。

The 90-minute tour felt too long for the scale of the event. Even after going around twice, we hadn't spent half the time, and when we returned to the bus, it was still closed, leaving us waiting outside for over 30 minutes. I wish someone had informed us that the bus was not open. The Ice Festival itself was good, but I think half the time would have been sufficient. However, it was strange that photos taken from a certain spot at the Ice Shrine turned out striped. No matter how many times I took the picture, it always came out with stripes.

規模の割に、90分の見学時間は長すぎた。
2周回っても時間は半分も経たず、バスに戻ったけど開いておらず、30分以上外でずっと待つ羽目に。
バスが開いていないことを教えて欲しかったです。
氷濤まつり自体は、良かったですが半分の時間で良いかと。
でも氷濤神社のところで、ある場所から撮る写真が縞模様になるのが不思議でした。
何度撮っても、縞模様になります。

The world surrounded by snow and ice was just like the world of Frozen! It was filled with various colors from the illuminations, and especially, the Shikotsu Lake blue was beautiful. I was prepared for the freezing cold, but it wasn't that bad, and the guide said it was perfect weather! I was really glad to spend a meaningful winter night.♪

雪と氷で囲まれた世界は、まるでアナ雪の世界でした！　イルミネーションで様々な色彩にあふれ、特に、支笏湖ブルーがきれいでした。凍てつく寒さを覚悟してましたが、それほどでもなく、ガイドさんは、パーフェクトな天気だとおっしゃってました！　冬の夜を有意義に過ごせて、とても良かったです♪

We were picked up on time in front of the ANA Hotel lobby. There were 46 people on the tour, but on the day I participated, half of them were from overseas. The guide explained everything in both English and Japanese, which I found very impressive. The explanations were thorough and kind. The Shikotsuko Ice Festival was also magical and fun. The weather was nice, and the light displays were beautiful. The roasted marshmallows cooked over the bonfire at the venue were delicious. It was cold, but if you dress warmly, you'll be fine! I'm glad I brought crampons. An hour and a half of sightseeing at the venue felt just right. The bus arrived smoothly, which was great. Maybe it was because it was a weekday. The guide mentioned that on weekends, you have to line up to park. I'm glad I participated.

時間通りにANAホテルロビー前にお迎え。46人のツアーでしたが、今回参加した日は半分が海外の方でした。ガイドさんも英語と日本語で説明してとても感心しました。丁寧に説明されて親切でした。支笏湖の氷濤まつりも幻想的で楽しかったです。天気もよく光のライトアップが綺麗でした。会場で焚き火で焼くマシュマロがおいしかったです。寒かったですが暖かい格好で挑めば大丈夫！アイゼンを持って行って良かったです。会場内で1時間半観光でちょうどいい感じでした。バスもスムーズに着いたので良かったです。平日だったからかな。土日は駐車するのに並ぶとガイドさんが言ってました。参加して良かったで。

Very professional staff at tour company. Good value and convenient as Upopoy is over an hour away. There was someone on hand to translate into English, I don't know if this person goes to all the tours. (Staff at Upopoy are poor at English but this isn't tour company's fault.)

The bus on the way got caught in traffic, which delayed the end of the tour and required us to change our dinner reservation, but we still enjoyed the sightseeing. The bus guide was very energetic and explained everything clearly, so we learned a lot about the Shikotsu Lake Ice Festival. Thank you very much.

行きのバスが渋滞に巻き込まれてしまい、ツアー終了の時間が押して夜ご飯のお店の予約を変更することになりましたが、観光としては楽しめました。
バスガイドさんがとても元気にハキハキと説明してくださったので、支笏湖氷濤祭りのことをよく知ることが出来ました。
ありがとうございました。

The bus was very clean and the seats were spacious. We got caught in traffic for over an hour, so if the seats had been cramped, it might have been frustrating, but they were wide enough to stretch my legs, which was a relief.

The tour guide was also polite, making it a good experience.

バスがすごく綺麗で席も広かった。１時間以上の渋滞の巻き込まれたので、狭かったらイライラしたかもしれませんが足を伸ばせるぐらい広かったので助かりました。

添乗員さんも丁寧でいい経験でした。