If you’re not looking to escape the chill of winter, but instead want to take in wondrous snow-covered views while exploring some of Asia’s best destinations, you’ll find that and more by heading to one of these spectacular places. Whether you want to ski, take a dip in an onsen, or enjoy a winter festival, one of these destinations is sure to have what you’re looking for.
Harbin, China
The “Ice City,” as Harbin is known, hosts one of the world’s largest snow and ice festivals, the Harbin International Ice Festival. Held throughout much of January and into February, it features some 1,500 larger-than-life ice structures that shimmer with multi-colored lights. Every year there is a different theme, varying from mythical beasts to famous landmarks from across the globe. The Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival boasts gigantic ice castles, a 3D light show and Northern Lights-themed ice slides. Other winter experiences can be enjoyed here too, including dog sledding, romantic sleigh rides, winter swimming, and watching Siberian tigers, safari-style. This popular winter destination offers some of the best winter sports opportunities on the planet, including skiing and snowboarding.
Otaru, Japan
Otaru, Japan is a winter wonderland and port town that lures visitors in with its beautiful architecture and long, picturesque canal that’s famously lined with Victorian-style gas lamps and stone buildings that once housed herring merchants but today serve as the home of shops and eateries. The Otaru Canal, which is also open for short cruises, happens to be the main venue for the Otaru Snow Light Path Festival, an event where locals place floating candles inside the canal, distributing some 15,000 snow candles and lanterns to light up the narrow pathways. The entire town has an unusual look to it, somewhat more Russian than Japanese, more industrial than bucolic, but still incredibly delightful, especially in its winter glory.
Yamagata, Japan
If you’re all about skiing or snowboarding, you may want to base your vacation around Yamagata’s Zao Onsen resort. This massive skiing and snowboarding area receives the highest average snowfall in Japan and is even popular among tourists who aren’t into thrilling snow sports, with many coming just to see the Juhyo, or “ice monsters” (pine trees covered in a thick layer of windswept snow creating whimsical shapes) that appear in the winter. The area also hosts snow festivals and plenty of onsens (hot springs) – and Yonezawa beef, which comes from this prefecture, is considered among the best of the best, ideal for feeding those ravishing appetites after a day out on the slopes.
Deogyusan National Park, South Korea
The Deogyusan Resort, formerly known as Muju Resort, is located inside Deogyusan National Park and is best known for its annual Firefly Festival which takes place in the summer, but when the snow arrives, visitors come in droves to enjoy nature in another way, by hitting the slopes. This is one of the nation’s most famous ski resorts and can be reached with a 3-hour drive from Seoul. It’s especially famous for boasting some of the longest ski slopes, like the nearly four-mile-long Silk Road. It also offers some of the greatest variety, with runs suitable for everyone from beginners to the most advanced, like the Raiders Course, with the steepest slopes in South Korea.
Lhasa, Tibet
If you don’t mind, or perhaps even revel in, extreme winters, by heading to Lhasa you’ll enjoy the breathtaking beauty of one of the world’s most jaw-dropping snowy wonderlands with fewer crowds and cheaper hotel accommodations. While it will be cold, it won’t be nearly as chilly as you might think, particularly as December and January are dry months and the high-altitude sun is almost always in abundance, making it feel warmer than the temperature would have you believe. You can also enjoy festivals, like the Monlam, or Great Prayer Festival, in which monks and artisans create colorful butter sculptures for burning during the Butter Lamp Festival. If you’re here for the Tibetan New Year, Losar, you can celebrate with the locals by watching dance performances at Potala Palace and even hanging up prayer flags on the temples and mountain tops.
Nagano, Japan
The northern reaches of the Nagano Prefecture are where you’ll find the Nozawa Onsen Snow Resort. It offers the ultimate experience, with the chance to spend your days shredding up the slopes before hitting the soothing hot springs, 13 community soto-yu, or indoor thermal spring pools, owned collectively by villagers. There is no entrance fee, all bathing is au naturel, and each one has a separate area for men and women. By visiting in mid-January, you can take part in Nozawa Onsen Dosojin Matsuri. The festival is staged by men to celebrate the birth of a family’s first child, to pray for a happy marriage, and to dispel evil spirits. The highlight is a “fire-setting battle” that ends with a huge wooden structure set ablaze by torches.
Almaty, Kazakhstan
This central Asian country that extends from the Caspian Sea in the west to the Altai Mountains at its eastern border with China and Russia, isn’t usually the first destination you’d think of when it comes to winter sports. But Almaty has become increasingly popular for snow sports enthusiasts as it’s surrounded by majestic peaks that wouldn’t be out of place in the French Alps. Soaring up to heights of over 13,000 feet, they get reliable snow conditions between December and April and also feature two ski areas, Chimbulak and Ak-Bulak. Chimbulak is set within the magnificent gorge, Zailiysky Alatau, in the Tian Shan mountain range, and hosts an array of activities, including skiing, snowboarding, sledding, and even spirited snowball fights.
Sapporo, Japan
The capital of Hokkaido Prefecture and the largest city on the northernmost main island, Sapporo is transformed into a total, full-scale winter wonderland during the chillier months of the year. Every February this top-rated Japanese city hosts the Sapporo Snow Festival, which attracts some two million visitors each year as one of Japan’s largest and most popular winter events. They come to admire the hundreds of impressive snow statues and ice sculptures as well as to taste delicious local cuisines, like snow crab and uni, and enjoy thrilling rides, slides, and fantastic music that all come together in a carnival-like atmosphere to celebrate the best the region has to offer. If the weather gets a little too chilly for your liking, enjoy a tour and tasting at the Sapporo Beer Museum or the Ishiya Chocolate Factory to warm up.
Shimla, India
Fabulous for a nature retreat, Shimla is surrounded by stunning mountain scenery, while monkeys roam freely along the overhead cables, casually watching the shoppers below. It enjoys snowy winters thanks to its northern latitude, making it an ideal place to escape the intense heat that so many other cities in India endure. Nearby at Wildflower Hall, you’ll find a haven for ski enthusiasts seeking refuge from crowded, overly commercialized resorts. This premiere mountaintop resort will make you feel as if you’re stepping into the pages of a fairy tale with its gorgeous vistas of endless forest and snow-capped mountain peaks. Spend your days taking part in whatever winter sport suits your fancy, and your evenings indulging in holistic spa treatments, complemented by more extraordinary views.
Gangwon-do, South Korea
Pyeongchang in Gangwon-do held the 2018 Winter Olympics, and as such, it’s a great place to take advantage of the Taebaek Mountain slopes. Yongpyong is the biggest ski and snowboard resort in Korea, offering something for all types of skiers with beginner, intermediate, advanced, and expert routes available across nearly 30 different slopes. Alpensia is considered a haven for beginners and intermediates who can practice and perfect their skills at a relatively quieter resort with six slopes.
