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Destinations · 北海道 · Hokkaido

Hokkaido

Hokkaido (北海道) is a prefecture in the Hokkaido region of Japan; its capital is Sapporo (札幌市).

Hokkaido in numbers

In 2025 about 3.0 million foreign visitors came to Hokkaido — 9th of the 47 prefectures. They spent an average of 150,000 yen each in the prefecture and stayed 6.0 nights there on average.

Foreign guests accounted for 28.6% of all guest nights booked in Hokkaido in 2025, up 29.0% on 2024 and +51.1% against 2019.

Visitors from Malaysia are the most likely to include Hokkaido in a trip (12.0% did in 2025), followed by Thailand (10.6%) and Taiwan (10.0%).

Hokkaido: foreign visitor statistics
MeasureValue
Foreign visitors in 20253.0 million (rank 9 of 47)
Average spend per visitor in the prefecture150,000 yen
Total spend by foreign visitors451.2 billion yen
Average nights spent in the prefecture6.0
Foreign guest nights in 2025 (hotels, ryokan and other lodging)13,302,640
Share of all guest nights that were foreign28.6%
Foreign guest nights vs 2024+29.0%
Foreign guest nights vs 2019+51.1%
Share of surveyed visitors who went to Hokkaido7.3%
Nationalities most likely to visitMalaysia 12.0%, Thailand 10.6%, Taiwan 10.0%

Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Consumption Trend Survey for Foreigners Visiting Japan, 2025 annual (final), summary report (regional survey) (都道府県別 訪問者数・消費単価・旅行消費額・平均泊数(地域調査)). Period: 2025-01 to 2025-12. Unit: visitors_10k = 10,000 persons; spend_per_person_10k_yen = 10,000 yen; spend_100m_yen = 100 million yen; nights = average nights.

Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Overnight Travel Statistics Survey, 2025 annual (final) (都道府県別 延べ宿泊者数(外国人・全体)、2024年・2019年は同調査の各年確定値). Period: 2025-01 to 2025-12. Unit: guest nights (person-nights).

Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Consumption Trend Survey for Foreigners Visiting Japan, 2025 annual (final) (表6-1 都道府県別訪問率(全目的)). Period: 2025-01 to 2025-12. Unit: percent of respondents.

Climate in Hokkaido, month by month

Sapporo — monthly averages, 1991–2020
MonthHighLowRainSnowfallSun hours
Jan-0°C (31°F)-6°C (20°F)108 mm (4.3 in)137 cm90
Feb0°C (33°F)-6°C (21°F)92 mm (3.6 in)116 cm104
Mar4°C (40°F)-2°C (28°F)78 mm (3.1 in)74 cm145
Apr12°C (53°F)3°C (38°F)55 mm (2.1 in)6 cm176
May18°C (64°F)9°C (48°F)56 mm (2.2 in)0 cm200
Jun22°C (71°F)13°C (56°F)60 mm (2.4 in)0 cm180
Jul25°C (78°F)18°C (64°F)91 mm (3.6 in)0 cm168
Aug26°C (80°F)19°C (66°F)127 mm (5.0 in)0 cm168
Sep23°C (73°F)15°C (59°F)142 mm (5.6 in)0 cm159
Oct16°C (62°F)8°C (46°F)110 mm (4.3 in)1 cm146
Nov9°C (48°F)2°C (35°F)114 mm (4.5 in)30 cm99
Dec2°C (36°F)-4°C (25°F)114 mm (4.5 in)113 cm83

Source: Japan Meteorological Agency, climatological normals (1991–2020) (station page). Snowfall is the monthly total of fresh snow.

Nearby prefectures

Sources

Official and primary sources used for this page. Checked October 8, 2026.

To cite or link to this page: Hokkaido — Japan Pocket Guide, https://japanpocketguide.com/prefectures/hokkaido/