Blanketed: Snow covers the roof and garden of a house in Otaru, Japan.

Visiting a winter wonderland requires sensible precautions to ensure an enjoyable trip. With heavy snowfall during winter, there is no way of keeping the roads and paths clear. The weight of passing cars and buses pack down the snow and turn it into a surface as slippery and as hard as an unlevel ice skating rink, making shoes with traction an important weapon against slipping over and shattering bones.

Every year tourists and locals alike fall over and fracture bones. Rooftops also become laden with snow, which without warning can fall on unsuspecting passersby and cause injury. It is a busy time for doctors, who set broken bones and prescribe physiotherapy for the injured. Travel insurance can prove to be invaluable.

Warm, waterproof coats, gloves and hats are also a must.

To keep in touch with family and friends back home, the best option is to take advantage of the free Wi-Fi spots around the city using a smartphone. Hotels such as the Sapporo Mercure have free Wi-Fi throughout their premises.

A number of airlines fly into Japan's fifth-largest city, with Jetstar being a popular option.

' JP/Linda Hollands

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