【Ice Fishing Experience】 Wakasagi Smelt Fishing & Shinshinotsu Hot Spring Tour (Excluding Multilingual Audio System)
Operation Period
Jan 21 - Mar 6, 2026
Duration
6 hours and 28 min (5 hours and 58 min on Sat, Sun, and public holidays)
Distance
73km
Dep/Arr point
Sapporo
Dep/Arr Times
Weekdays: Dep 10:20 Arr 16:48 Sat, Sun, and public holidays: Dep 11:20 Arr 17:18
Fare
Adults
9,200 JPY
Children(6-12)
5,200 JPY
*Includes lunch, a full smelt-fishing experience set, and a Tappu no Yu bathing ticket.
Enjoy the surf smelt fishing on the ice in the heart of Hokkaido winter.
This is the best course to experience and fully enjoy the harsh winter of Hokkaido and enjoy ice fishing from January to February. Shinshinotsu Village, about an hour from Sapporo, sits in the heart of the Ishikari Plain. With strong winds and heavy snowfall, this area lets visitors experience Hokkaido’s true winter. The main event, smelt fishing, takes place at Shinotsu Lake, a dam lake on the Ishikari River. Inside a tent set up on the ice, get ready for a full-on battle with the smelt. It is extremely cold outside (freezing), but inside the tent is a different world. There is a kerosene heater, and plywood boards are laid underfoot so fishers don’t have to kept their feet in the snow. No matter how cold it is outside, the tent stays toasty warm and comfortable. The fishing site is a one-minute walk from Shinshinotsu Hot Spring. After fishing, please enjoy a nice soak in the springs or relax in the rest area. What’s more, if you wish, the smelt you catch can be cooked at the restaurant for your to enjoy (¥500 per cook). ・The tour bus will come back to Sapporo at 17:00 (around 17:30 on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays), and this is a perfect deal for those who want to spend a satisfying day-trip in Hokkaido.
Itinerary
Weekdays
Dep 10:20
Sapporo Station
↓
via National Route 275 and the Iwamizawa-Ishikari Prefectural Road
11:48～15:30
Shinshinotsu Hot Spring "Tappu no Yu" Lunch (11:50–12:30) *① Smelt fishing experience (12:30–15:30) *② Hot springs (after fishing–15:30
↓
via the Iwamizawa-Ishikari Prefectural Road and National Route 275
Arr 16:35
Sapporo Factory (D/O available)
Arr 16:40
Sapporo Clocl Tower (D/O available)
Arr 16:48
Sapporo Station
Saturdays, Sundays, and Public Holidays
Dep 11:20
Sapporo Station
↓
via National Route 275 and the Iwamizawa-Ishikari Prefectural Road
12:48～16:00
Shinshinotsu Hot Spring "Tappu no Yu" Lunch (12:50–13:30) *① Smelt fishing experience (13:30–16:00) *② Hot springs (after fishing–16:00)
↓
via the Iwamizawa-Ishikari Prefectural Road and National Route 275
Arr17:05
Sapporo Factory (D/O available)
Arr17:10
Sapporo Clocl Tower (D/O available)
Arr 17:18
Sapporo Station
●After finishing lunch, each participant will go to the Tappu no Yu (hot springs) front desk, and a front-desk staff member will guide you along the route and take participants to the fishing site. At the fishing site, staff will teach participants how to fish. Seating inside the temporary tents may be shared.
*①Smelt Fishing Experience ・The fee includes the temporary tent usage fee, rental fishing rod, bait, chair, bucket, stove, ice scoop, and liability insurance. ・Participants will fish for smelt inside special (windbreaking) tents by fishing through holes in the ice (holes are preapred in advance). ・Even if the inside of the special tent is kept warm with stove and plywood sheeting, wear warm clothes while ice fishing outside. ・No open flames and no smoking inside the temporary tents. Eating an drinking are allowed. ・Each participant will be attaching bait to their fishing lines themselves. ・The smelt participants catch can be prepared as tempura at the restaurant for ¥500 per cook. Participants may also take the fish home as-is (plastic bags are provided by the facility). ・Participants may also catch fish other than smelt (fish other than smelt cannot be prepared as tempura at the facility). Please note that some participants may not catch any fish. ・Note that if a rental rod is damaged, compensation will be required. Not covered by insurance: rod tip ¥2,000, fishing rod ¥7,000, reel ¥700 ・After the fishing experience, please enjoy the hot springs or relax in the relaxation room until bus departure time. ・An optinal banana boat ride experience is available. Per ride: Junior high school students and older ¥1,500, elementary school students and younger ¥1,000 (may be suspended due to weather or other reasons)
*②Hot Spring Facility ・A relaxation room is available for hot-spring facility users. ・Towels are not provided. Face towels sold for ¥300, bath towels sold for ¥600 on site. (no rentals) ・If you do not use your bathing ticket while on this tour, it can be used at these facilities from the next day onward. One ticket is valid for one use. ・Meals and bathing fees are included in tour fare. (Please be sure to bring towels or purchase them on site.) ・A boxed lunch has been prepared for lunch.
Meals
Japanese-style Bento with Smelt Dish
・Shrimp dressed with mayonnaise sauce ・Zangi Hokkaido fried chicken and grilled sirloin steak ・Smelt simmered in soy sauce-style tsukudani, shibazuke pickles, and rol cake ・Albacore tuna sashimi ・15-grain rice ・Smelt escabeche, chicken terrine, and picked vegetables *Photo is for illustrative purpose only. Menu items are subject to change based on availability.
Important Notice
・Please come to the ticket window 15 minutes before departure to exchange your ticket.
◎If conditions at the smelt-fishing site are deemed unsuitable for smelt fishing, this course will be suspended. ◎The beginning date for this tour may be delayed in mild winters when Lake Shinotsu does not freeze. Also, if the ice begins to melt early due to a mild winter, the tour may end earlier than scheduled period. ◎Please understand that the bus may have to turn around and cancel the tour in the event of heavy snowfall or snowdrifts that make driving hazardous. ◎Tour will be cancelled when there is no reservation by 15:00 the day before. Same-day walk-in participation without a reservation is not accepted. ◎Tour time at each facility will depend on traffic that day, the number of passengers and other factors. ◎Arrival time for this course may be earlier depending on whether or not the facility is open or not, or limitations on tours. ◎Please note that the buses may be delayed due to inclement weather or traffic conditions, so please allow ample time for transfers to other means of transportation. ◎The tour may be cancelled due to disasters or other unavoidable circumstances, so please be sure to contact us about whether the tour is in operation during unusual weather.
Bus Company
Hokkaido Chuo Bus: 7:30 AM- 6:00 PM, +81 (0)570-200-600
