When Snow Melts... ― 2026/02/23
Once the weather warms and the snow begins to melt, the streets transform into a nightmarish landscape of ice, slush, muddy water, massive puddles, and remnants of snowbanks—a mess I’ve never seen in my life.
The road conditions change with every few steps. To make matters worse, drivers seem completely oblivious to the existence of us pedestrians. They don't even slow down at crosswalks, sending massive splashes of dirty water flying. It’s absolutely impossible to enjoy a leisurely walk while listening to my Walkman.
However, there is a glimmer of hope: the harshest part of the Hokkaido winter seems to be nearing its end (or at least, that’s what my hairdresser told me—and I’m choosing to believe him). Yay!
Updates on Snow Shoes ― 2026/02/16
13,680 yen (reduced from 22,000 yen), plus a shareholder discount at Daimaru
Although the snow season will (hopefully) be over within a month, I bought a new pair of snow boots equipped with state-of-the-art soles (at least by my standards).
Living up to their reputation, they feel extremely secure. Even as a complete beginner at walking on icy, snowy surfaces—which I definitely am—I managed a seven-kilometer walk without slipping or falling. I’m already thinking of getting another pair with the same soles while the winter clearance sale is still on.
This time, a shop assistant in the shoe section at Daimaru told me:
* Snow boots are essentially consumable items. Don’t expect them to last forever. When the soles wear out, the boots are done.
* It’s still too early for a first-year Sapporo resident to try walking in a pair of Hunter boots. You need a couple of years to get used to walking on icy, slippery surfaces—and even then, you still have to be very careful.
* If you see someone walking effortlessly in such conditions, they’re either very experienced at walking on snow, or they’ve mastered the art of sliding and walking at the same time.
I hope one day I will be able to walk in style in Sapporo winter — staying alive and safe.
New Vocabulary ― 2026/02/15
Even at my age, I still come across words here in Sapporo that I had never heard before. So far, I have learned several snow-related terms, such as:
● Seppi (雪庇): snow overhanging from a roof,
● Tyakusetsu (着雪): snow sticking to objects and causing problems,
● Rakusetsu (落雪): snow falling from roofs or tree branches
and
● Haisetsu (排雪): removing snow piled up along roadsides and transporting it to designated sites
All of these are terms you would rarely, if ever, use in warmer regions.
Notes on Winter Shoes ― 2026/02/04
My current equipment
Shoes play a big role in life in Sapporo. A pair of well-waterproofed shoes with non-slip soles can hugely improve your quality of life and even your chances of survival here. I say this based on my bitter experience of falling and damaging my hip joint.
Because of that incident, I always wore spikes over my snow boots. But it gradually became annoying to put them on and take them off every time I entered a store, a station, or walked on a dry surface. I also started to feel a bit embarrassed using them, like riding a bicycle with training wheels. In fact, even five-year-olds don’t wear spikes in this town.
So I decided to look for a good pair of shoes that doesn’t need spikes. I visited several local shoe stores and gathered some information. Here are my notes for next season (it’s probably too late to find a good pair for this season).
(Sources: shop assistants at a local ABC MART and the Madras section of a local department store)
If you want a pair that lasts for two seasons or more, look for shoes priced around 20,000 yen or higher with Vibram Arctic Grip soles. But it’s totally fine to choose a cheaper pair if you don’t mind changing shoes every season.
Because soles designed for snowy surfaces are made of very soft materials, you should switch shoes as soon as you walk on bare roads. Otherwise, the soles will wear out quickly on hard surfaces.
People in Sapporo usually own at least two pairs of snow shoes, and replace one pair with new ones when they see the first heavy snowfall of the year.
No shoe works perfectly on every surface and terrain. A perfect pair for someone else might be shoes from hell for you.
Upper materials can be roughly divided into rubber, GORE-TEX (or similar membranes), synthetic leather, and real leather. In any case, you should apply waterproof spray about once every three wears to prevent water from getting in. In the case of real leather, you also need to polish them every week.
Soles can be replaced. So it is possible to equip your sneakers with snow-adapted soles. However, whether the upper part can withstand sub-zero temperatures and wet snow is another question.
I guess (or hope, or wish, to be precise) that some of this information might be exaggerated because of their profession, but at the moment I still can’t tell which parts are sales talk and which are sincere advice.
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