At work: A man uses an ice axe to clear snow from the front of his store.

The sun shines brightly as we emerge from Sapporo's New Chitose Airport, giving the false impression that there is no bitingly cold wind ready to chill our bones.

Watching the snow covered landscape flash by from behind the bus windows as we are driven into the city gives us the realization that we have entered a winter wonderland.

And full of wonder it is. Rugged up against the elements in thick winter coats and warm boots, we are taken to a theme party at the Miyanomori Museum Garden hosted by the Sapporo Hokkaido MICE Bureau. In the first floor gallery, a troupe of performers entertains guests with a traditional Hokkaido song and dance. Swirls of red and black that dominate the dancers' costumes contrast against the white setting of the gallery as they perform using fans, straw hats and red parasols as props. Their movements are rapidly fluid, bringing an air of excitement with the twirling of parasols, hands and feet.

Dinner on the second floor consists of delicious Hokkaido dishes such as lamb stew, baked cod and sautéed abalone. Live traditional music fills the dining area, with one woman playing a stringed koto to the accompaniment of two men playing taiko drums. Outside, a sculpture garden almost buried under a meter of snow can be seen through the picture windows.

The next day on the way to Otaru city, we pass numerous houses and parking lots with vehicles covered in snow, some with only the side mirrors and upright windshield wipers visible. Men are outside clearing snow away from doorways with shovels and ice axes. Average snowfall in the area is 8 meters per season, making Sapporo one of the most popular destinations for skiing due to its proximity to Hokkaido mountains.

Otaru is a herring fishing area, and we head for a 100-year-old summer house built by a fishery tycoon surrounded by snow that covers the footpath leading up to it, nearby trees, its roof, in fact the entire landscape. The branches of trees are tied up to support them against the weight of the snow so that they don't break.

The old Aoyama summer house is built of wood, and its corridors, pillars and wooden beams are lacquered. The sliding doors have works by noted artists and calligraphists from the early 20th century. In a restaurant in an adjacent building we are given a demonstration on making sushi before being served a bento box containing the freshest local herring, salmon and shrimp sushi, shrimp tempura and other delicacies.

From here we are driven into Otaru city, which is bustling with like-minded travelers wanting to take in the sights.

The most popular tourist attraction here is the old canal, along which are old stone fishery warehouses.

In the old days, large fishing vessels unloaded their catches onto small boats that would transport them along the canal to the warehouses. Land on one side of the canal has since been reclaimed, and a wide path has been built for people to stroll along.

The stores and cafes of Otaru are also popular, with the Music Box Museum, Le Tao chocolate shop and cafe and Otaru glassware retailers being among the favorites.

The shop in the Music Box Museum is housed in the former main office of a grain and rice merchant built in 1912. Hundreds of music boxes are on display throughout the five-story building.

La Tao sells delicious hot chocolate that tickles the taste buds and fortifies one against the cold weather outdoors, as do the free samples of sake offered by various stores in the city. Friendly looking snowmen stand guard outside
a number of stores.

After dinner that night the staff of Mercure Hotel Sapporo takes us to a bar that offers a 'drink buffet' that for 2,600 yen (US$27) patrons can order as many drinks as they like such as hot or cold sake and local beer for the next two hours. The hotel is within easy walking distance of a plethora of restaurants and bars in Susukino district and the downtown clock tower.

The following day we visit the Ishiya chocolate factory, the compound of which is set up like a winter theme park outside Otaru city limits. Emerging from the parking lot, one encounters a steam locomotive for rides around the compound, a sleigh, a tree house and various theme park structures. Every hour an outdoor marionette musical
display entertains visitors.

The manufacturing of the factory's famous white chocolate cookies can be viewed through various windows along a designated walkway that follows the production line.

Leaving behind the chocolate factory, we head for Okurayama ski jump stadium, which was the venue for the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics.

 The surrounding area around the ski jump is a blanket of snow-covered mountains that attract skiing enthusiasts from around the world. We hop on a chairlift to take us to the top, where there is an enclosed observation deck that overlooks the entire area.

Lunch is at Kaniya crab restaurant in Sapporo city, which has an upstairs display of various traditional Japanese masks and attire. Emerging from the restaurant, we are greeted by snowflakes gracefully falling.

Cameras are once again whipped out and everyone is content with such a perfect ending to a fairytale-like three days in Sapporo.

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The writer traveled at the
invitation of Accor Hotels.

' Photos By JP/Linda Hollands

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