Jul 20, 2016 - 2 min read

Otaru Candle Light Snow Paths

The magic of light and snow

By Jaime Wong

Community writer

Otaru was so lovely and magical with the candles

Amazing how there were so many candles and snow sculptures made

The Otaru canal: a beautifully restored place where the old warehouses lining the side of it were turned into museums

Snowballs and snow-cylinders were stacked to make various adorable structures

There were also pressed flowers in snow globes making gorgeous lanterns

The variety of different snow sculptures there made the walk very enjoyable and fun

The glow of candle flame in snow is so soft and romantic

Otaru is a small harbour city, reachable from Sapporo by train in half an hour. In February when the Sapporo Snow Festival is on, Otaru also holds its own Snow Light Path Festival. Candles are placed in hundreds of different snow sculptures, lighting up the city paths and canal, and it is truly a romantic and beautiful sight to behold.

There are two snow light paths you can visit in Otaru. Unga Kaijo runs along the canal, and Temiyasen Kaijo runs down a path located between the train station and the canal. My friends and I thought to visit Temiyasen Kaijo first, and then make our way down to the canal, but we didn't realise that they put out the candle lights so early!!! The staff start putting out candles from 8:30pm till 9:00pm, so unfortunately we stayed at Temiyasen Kaijo for too long, and by the time we made it to the canal all the candle lights were already put out! Therefore if you plan to go see the Snow Light Path Festival, make sure to get there early in the evening, and watch your time spent at each location to ensure you won't miss out!