Sapporo is one of the snowiest large cities on earth. For nearly half the year, its shrine halls and approach paths lie sunken in snow — a feature on the quiet of the sacred, wrapped in white.
Sapporo's winter is long and deep. In heavier years a single season piles up some six metres of snow in all, and few cities on earth carry so much while home to nearly two million people. From the end of November to the following March, both the city and its temples and shrines sink into white.
Snow does not keep worshippers away. If anything, a hall reached by treading through the snow holds a stillness quite unlike summer's. The clear ring of a bell carries through the frozen air, and snow-light softly touches the lanterns — a winter visit is a reward found only in the northern city.
札幌の冬は長く深い。多い年には一冬で累計6メートルもの雪が積もる。
In the north, the year's first shrine visit is met amid white breath and snow-light. From New Year's Eve into New Year's Day, people walk the snowy roads toward the temples and shrines to pray for a safe year ahead. Hokkaido Jingū and shrines across the city fill with worshippers, while bonfires and warm amazake (sweet rice drink) loosen the chill from the body.
Underfoot the packed snow is hard, frozen and slippery. Non-slip winter boots, warm gloves, and time to spare — that is the wisdom of a northern hatsumōde.
北国の初詣は、雪と白い息のなかで迎える。篝火とあたたかい甘酒が、冷えた体をほどく。
Hokkaido Jingū: Immanuelle, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Halls and mountain gates with snow on their roofs take on the stillness of an ink painting. Vermilion torii and lanterns stand out against the white, showing a face utterly unlike summer's. Branches in the grounds bowing under the weight of snow are a scene only winter brings.
In the deep cold of Sapporo, the flowers in the water basin can freeze right where they float. Camellias and nandina sealed in ice are forms only winter can shape; their crimson, glowing through the snow-light, is a gift of this season alone. → Hanachōzu
When a stone lantern crowned with snow is lit, the grounds are wrapped in soft shadow. Across the city, events that dress the winter nights in light are held here and there, resonating with the quiet of the temples and shrines.
Wear non-slip winter boots and gloves, and dress warmly. Even a cleared approach path can ice over. Dusk comes early, so a daytime visit is best, and the amulet office may keep shorter reception hours through winter.