Under Expectation, Welcomely ― 2026/03/05
Our first full-month gas bill—covering heating, hot water and cooking—came to a surprising 5,636 yen.
A pleasant shock. It’s much lower than what we used to pay in Fukuoka, where it often hit nearly 20,000 yen (including floor heating), and everyone, without exception, at relocation support offices and estate agencies had warned us to expect over 30,000 yen. (Note: We are living in a 40-year-old flat with no state-of-the-art energy-saving gimmicks at all.)
It turns out that as long as I protect myself with my Uniqlo Ultra Light Down at home, just like I did in Fukuoka, the Sapporo winter is nothing to fear (at least indoors, where every lifeline functions properly). In Fukuoka, my room temperature dropped to 12°C, but here it stays comfortably above 18°C, thanks to very basic double-glazed windows and probably the heat we are "stealing" from our neighbors through the walls, ceilings, and floors.
Old Enough (for a Welfare Visitor) ― 2026/02/26
Shortly after we settled in, a lady knocked on our door. Identifying herself as a "community welfare volunteer," she explained that she visits old people who have recently moved to the neighborhood.
"I check on seniors who might need assistance, and since you BOTH seem to be SENIORS, I wanted to say hello and see if you’re doing okay," she said, with a very polite and professional demeanor. For me, this was the first time I had ever been addressed as "old" right to my face. I mean, I know I am technically a "senior," but a part of me hadn't truly accepted that label yet. You can feel "young at heart" forever—until you are forced to face a bitter reality.
Anyway, after recovering from that initial shock, I took a look at the brochure she left, and felt even more discouraged. It seemed to cry out to me:
* You can still work! (And you should!)
* Do volunteer (unpaid) work for the community!
* Join senior clubs, sports classes, or preventative health activities!
It felt as if what I do these days—walking (wandering) around alone in silence, watching films at home, and avoiding group activities—was being labeled "incorrect."
By the way, how did she know we had moved in? She mentioned she was told to visit by "someone at the municipal office." Well, I know she had good intensions, and perhaps my victim mentality is running high, but I can't help but feel a slight sense of "big brother" watching...
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!
Early-Hours Professionals ― 2026/02/18
Here in Sapporo, I have realized that there are some extremely demanding professions. I would say one of the toughest is early-morning newspaper delivery. Regardless of the weather—whether it is bitterly cold or heavily snowing—newspapers arrive at our doors at three o’clock in the morning, no matter which floor we live on or whether the building has an elevator. Every single day, without exception—even on the morning after a general election or after a night of heavy snowfall.
Likewise, snow-clearing operations are carried out before the city begins its daily activities. Snowplows work tirelessly through the night, and their operators must stay awake until morning. Yet their hard work can easily be undone by fresh snowfall the next day. What a punishing task!
I believe newspaper carriers in Sapporo should be paid more than those working in warmer, snow-free regions, especially those who simply drop papers into ground-floor mailboxes. And I sometimes wonder what snow shovellers do during the warmer seasons. Do they sell ice cream? Repair bicycles?
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.
Unexpected Expenses and Saving ― 2026/02/13
Apart from snow shoes, living in Sapporo comes with unexpected extra expenses.
For example, anti-static sprays are an absolute must—everything you touch generates static electricity and shocks you. Very annoying and scary (Ace Frehley would have been pleased, though). Probably because I don’t use fabric softener in my laundry, I need a can of spray costing around 500 yen every week. Although cheaper sprays are widely available at supermarkets and even 100-yen shops, I don't think generic types are not as effective as the branded ones.
As I mentioned in my previous post, waterproof sprays are also necessary. Not just shoes—bags and outerwear need protection from water too. We end up going through a lot of sprays in daily life. No wonder the empty spray cans are collected every week (for free!) in Sapporo.
On the bright side, the cost of heating has turned out to be surprisingly low—maybe even lower than what we paid back in southern Fukuoka. So far, for the two weeks from January 16 to February 10, the gas bill for cooking, heating, and hot water was (drumroll please) only around 5,000 yen. We had braced ourselves for over 30,000 yen a month, as many people warned us. This was a very pleasant surprise.
Our current flat is equipped with an old and mysterious small thermostat, which seems to control the room temperature. Thanks to this little gadget and double-glazed windows in all rooms, the temperature stays at a comfortable 19.5°C, and the gas burner rarely turns on—making the winter indoors surprisingly cozy.
While I have heard that the regular indoor temperature in Sapporo in winter is usually over 20°C—warm enough to enjoy ice cream in a T-shirt—I personally feel that using the heater modestly is more tasteful. I know this might sound like sour grapes, but for me, being in a slightly chilly room is one of the small beauties of winter.
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.
Welcome to Snow Hell ― 2026/01/25
In our first week in Sapporo, we were met with extremely heavy snowfall. Even locals were struggling to drive, or even to walk. In this extreme situation, I realized that money really talks: residents of luxury condominiums with heated ground surfaces enjoy dry, snow-free walkways
—though they still face slippery, snow-choked roads where their cars easily get stuck once they leave their sanctuary.
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