Is Sapporo Safe in February 2026?

Online vendors and tour aggregators offer "exclusive access" to Sapporo Snow Festival viewing spots or behind-the-scenes tours during the festival (early February). After paying 150-300 USD via online payment, confirmations are vague or never sent; day-of contact information is missing or wrong. The tour operator doesn't appear; customers are left waiting at Odori Park with hundreds of other tourists. No refunds are issued. Real festival access is free and open to public; paid tours are rare and booked directly through established companies.

How to avoid: Only book tours through Japan National Tourism Organization-listed companies or major platforms like Viator with verified multi-year track records; verify operator address and phone independently; avoid paying full amounts upfront; confirm all details 1 week before travel.

Touts outside Susukino's bars and hostess clubs approach tourists with promises of cheap drinks or entry. Once inside, the bill includes inflated "charge fees," "seat fees," and "service fees" that were never mentioned. The total can be shockingly high.

How to avoid: Choose your own bar from Google Maps with verified reviews. Never follow touts inside — if a bar has someone actively recruiting outside, walk away. Always ask for the complete pricing structure, including all fees, before sitting down.

Several souvenir shops along the covered Tanukikoji Shopping Arcade in central Sapporo mark up Hokkaido specialty products — particularly Royce chocolate, Shiroi Koibito biscuits, and dried seafood — well above the standard retail price found at Chitose Airport duty-free or department store basement food halls. Staff may claim the products are limited editions or exclusive to the shop to justify the inflated price. Visitors who buy here without price-checking elsewhere often pay 30–60% more than necessary. The scam is passive rather than aggressive but consistently traps first-time visitors.

How to avoid: Compare prices at Sapporo Station's underground shopping mall (Apia or Paseo) or at New Chitose Airport's departure hall before buying souvenirs on Tanukikoji. Official Shiroi Koibito product pricing is standardised — any significant markup is unjustified.

Budget accommodation listings on Airbnb and booking sites advertise cheap rooms in Sapporo's central wards (Chuo or Kita), claiming walk-in friendly or flexible cancellation. After pre-payment of 3,000-6,000 JPY, guests arrive to find the address is a closed business, a residential door that doesn't answer, or the room already booked under a different name. Hosts are unresponsive to messages; refunds take months or never arrive. The listings are deleted within days.

How to avoid: Book only through verified platforms (Booking.com, Airbnb) with buyer protection; verify the property on Google Maps Street View; confirm via phone call before paying; never pay via bank transfer for new guesthouses; read recent reviews carefully for sign-offs about actually meeting the host.

Unlicensed or unmetered taxi drivers solicit passengers in the arrivals hall and ground floor exits of New Chitose Airport, offering fixed-price rides into Sapporo city. The quoted flat rate is typically two to three times the metered fare and is non-negotiable once luggage is loaded. Some drivers claim the meter is broken or that a flat rate is mandatory for airport journeys, which is false. Official taxis use a meter and queue at the designated taxi rank outside the arrivals exit.

How to avoid: Use only taxis from the official metered taxi rank on the ground floor outside the arrivals exit at New Chitose Airport. Alternatively, take the JR Airport Express train to Sapporo Station, which is faster and cheaper for most hotel locations. Decline all approaches from drivers inside the terminal.