Walk Through 27 Red Torii While the Snow Falls
You step out of the taxi on a January night in Fushimi, Chuo-ku, and the cold hits your face before the colour does. Ahead of you, a tunnel of 27 consecutive torii gates runs red against the snow — the signature of Fushimi Inari Jinja in Sapporo, roughly 20 minutes by taxi from Sapporo Station at 2-2-17 Fushimi. The shrine carries a bunrei, a divided divine spirit, received from Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto, and it never closes: open 24 hours, no closing days, so you can make your hatsumode — your first shrine visit of the new year — at midnight or at a quiet hour when the gates are yours alone.
- Make your first visit of the year. Hatsumode is customarily observed between midnight on January 1 and about January 3. Buy an omamori and draw an omikuji.
- Ask for the limited-edition goshuin. A special shrine stamp is issued during the New Year period — bring the stamp book you intend to keep it in.
- Go late or go early. Because the grounds stay open around the clock, you can time your visit around the crowds rather than through them.
- Check before you travel: fushimiinari.or.jp, or 011-562-1753.
Add a Second Shrine to Your New Year Route
Sapporo's hatsumode circuit rewards a little planning. Hokkaido Jingu is the chief shrine of Hokkaido and the region's most popular hatsumode destination, drawing over 700,000 visitors annually. It sits at 474 Miyagaoka, Chuo-ku, open 7:00–16:00, with three subsidiary shrines to visit and a Rokkatei tea house on the grounds — a warm stop between prayers. Reach it at 011-611-0261 or hokkaidojingu.or.jp/eng/.
For something quieter and older in feel, head west to Kotoni Jinja, founded in the late 19th century by soldiers of Hokkaido's pioneering era. Its main hall was built in the 1920s, and reconstructed soldiers' residences stand on the grounds. The shrine is known for blessings for family safety, academic success, matchmaking and safe childbirth. Find it at 1-7-1-30 Kotoni 1-jo, Nishi-ku, open 7:00–16:00; 011-621-5544.
Walk the White Illumination After Dark
Hatsumode season overlaps with the Sapporo White Illumination, and in January four venues keep the city lit from 16:30 until late. Each is a short walk or taxi ride from the other, and all of them sit in Chuo-ku, so you can string them together on one cold, bright evening.
- Ekimae-dori — Kita 4-jo to Minami 4-jo. Runs November 21, 2025 to February 11, 2026, 16:30–22:00, with 220,000 LEDs.
- Minami 1-jo-dori — Minami 1-jo Nishi 1–3-chome. Runs November 21, 2025 to March 14, 2026, 16:30–22:00: gold-toned lights along a ginkgo-lined street.
- Sapporo Kita 3-jo Plaza (Akapla) — Kita 2-jo Nishi 4-chome to Kita 3-jo Nishi 4-chome. Runs November 21, 2025 to March 14, 2026, 16:30–22:00, blue and white lights set against the Red Brick Government Building.
- Sapporo Station South Exit Plaza — Kita 5-jo Nishi 4-chome. Runs November 21, 2025 to March 14, 2026, 16:30–24:00, under the theme "Flowers of Light."
Note that the Odori Park venue operates only until December, so plan your January route around the four listed above. Details: sapporo.travel/white-illumination/ or 011-281-6400.
When to Go, and How to Move Between Shrines and Lights
The hatsumode window — midnight January 1 through about January 3 — is when the shrines are at their most active, and it is also when the illumination streets are at their coldest and most atmospheric. Shrine hours vary: Fushimi Inari Jinja is open 24 hours, while Hokkaido Jingu and Kotoni Jinja both keep 7:00–16:00 hours, so a sensible shape to the day is shrines in daylight, illumination after 16:30. Fushimi Inari Jinja is about 20 minutes by taxi from Sapporo Station; the illumination venues cluster in Chuo-ku within walking distance of one another and of the station's south side.
Start With the Taxi Ride
Book your Sapporo nights around the hours after dark, when the torii at Fushimi are red against snow and the ginkgo street on Minami 1-jo-dori turns gold. Confirm the limited-edition goshuin and any New Year hours at fushimiinari.or.jp before you go, then build your route outward from there — a shrine in the afternoon, a bowl of something hot, and the lights until 22:00 or midnight. The city does this every year; all you have to do is show up dressed for the cold.