Otaru Snow Light Path Festival 2027
Otaru's historic canal and old rail line glow with thousands of hand-lit snow lanterns and floating candles for eight winter nights.
When · Where
- When
- 2027/02/06 08:00 – 2027/02/13
- Where
- Otaru Canal (main venue), plus the former Temiya Line, Otaru Art Base and Mt. Tenguyama（Otaru Canal area, Minato-machi, Otaru, Hokkaido）
- City
- Sapporo
- Getting there
- 10-minute walk from JR Otaru Station to the canal venue; Otaru Station is about 30-35 minutes by JR rapid train from Sapporo Station. The former Temiya Line venue sits roughly midway between the station and the canal.
- Price
- Free
- Organizer
- 小樽雪あかりの路実行委員会 (Otaru Snow Light Path Festival Executive Committee)
Good to know for visitors
- Getting there
- 10-minute walk from JR Otaru Station to the canal venue; Otaru Station is about 30-35 minutes by JR rapid train from Sapporo Station. The former Temiya Line venue sits roughly midway between the station and the canal. Open directions in Google Maps ↗
- Booking & entry
- Free to attend — details on the official page (button above).
- Language
- Mostly in Japanese — a translation app on your phone helps.
- Good for
- culture seekers, date night
Highlights
- About 300m of the historic Otaru Canal lined with hand-lit snow lanterns and glass "uki-dama" candles floating on the water
- The former Temiya rail line turned into a roughly 500m lantern-lit snow-sculpture walk with food stalls
- Night views from the Mt. Tenguyama observation deck (532m), pairing the city lights with the snow-light displays below
Background & story
Named after Otaru-born writer Sei Itō's poetry collection "Yuki Akari no Michi" (Snow Light Path), the festival began in 1999 to brighten Otaru's image during a national winter sports meet, lighting the historic canal and turning the disused Temiya railway into a snow-lantern walkway; it's now a fixture of Hokkaido's winter season alongside the Sapporo Snow Festival.
Good to know
Go right after dusk (lighting runs 17:00-21:00) for the best glow, wear grippy winter boots for icy streets, and pair it with a same-day Sapporo Snow Festival visit — Otaru is about 30 minutes away by rapid train.