Japan winter highlights tour, Sapporo snow festival

Planet

ENVIRONMENT AND UNDERTOURISM
Travelling responsibly means making conscious choices about when and where you go. Around 80% of travellers worldwide visit just 10% of destinations, and Japan is no exception. Cities like Tokyo, Kyoto and Kanazawa can become extremely crowded during peak spring and autumn seasons, placing pressure on infrastructure and local communities.

By visiting in winter, Winter Highlights helps spread tourism more evenly throughout the year. You’ll experience Japan at a quieter, more contemplative time, when temples, gardens and historic districts can be appreciated without the crowds.

This tour spends significant time in Hokkaido, an island that remains off the beaten path for most visitors — even for many Japanese. Your journey through Kushiro, Tsurui, Kawayu Onsen, Abashiri and Sapporo supports rural communities, highlights Japan’s unique winter wildlife, and introduces travellers to a landscape often missed on standard itineraries.

Choosing this trip means reducing your impact on destinations under pressure while contributing to sustainable tourism across a broader area of Japan. It’s a way of travelling that protects the places you love to visit — and makes each encounter feel all the more special.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY
Travel is as much about people as it is about place. The Winter Highlights tour is designed to connect travellers with the communities that make Japan so unique. Local knowledge, everyday routines and a genuine enthusiasm for culture are what turn a holiday into something meaningful.

On this journey, you’ll meet the people behind Japan’s traditions — from learning about the gold-leaf crafts in Kanazawa to trying your hand at washi paper-making in the UNESCO-listed village of Shirakawago. You’ll share home-cooked meals in Tsurui, explore markets in Tokyo and Hakodate, and enjoy one of the most convivial meals of the trip at Sapporo’s famous Asahi Beer Garden.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY & DIVERSITY
By seeking out these authentic, small-scale experiences, Winter Highlights helps ensure the benefits of tourism are shared more widely. Your visit supports artisans, local guides and small businesses, sustaining their craft and keeping cultural knowledge alive for future generations. It also helps promote diverse and inclusive employment across the regions you visit — from indigenous Ainu heritage sites to independent restaurants and shops — so that the impact of your travels goes beyond the trip itself.