It was New Year on January 2nd, 2026, and I decided to help a 1-day tour in Noboribetsu (since I had nothing to do). Noboribetsu offers a unique winter travel experience, combining culture and nature through attractions like Date Jidai Mura and Noboribetsu Bear Park. Date Jidai Mura takes visitors back to the Edo period with traditional architecture, ninja shows, and historical performances, while Noboribetsu Bear Park provides a rare chance to see Hokkaido’s native brown bears up close against a snowy mountain backdrop.There are many places in Hokkaido that are waiting to be explored, do not forget, If you need help arranging private tour in Hokkaido, you can use our trip planner!

We departed from Sapporo and since Ms. Cho is an experienced driver, the ride was really smooth and I almost fell asleep. Sapporo was covered in snow that day, but the moment we entered the south part of Hokkaido along the coast, there was no snow on the road.

First Destination: Date Jidai Mura

Date Jidai Mura is a historical theme park in Noboribetsu that recreates life during Japan’s Edo period, featuring traditional streets, costumed performers, and live ninja and samurai shows. In winter, the snow-covered setting adds an atmospheric charm, making it feel like stepping into a scene from old Japan while enjoying interactive cultural experiences.

The moment we arrived in Noboribetsu, there was a red giant “Oni” statue welcoming us. The Date Jidai village was only few minutes drive from the giant Oni statue. Once we arrived in the village front gate, there were samurais and ninjas welcoming us!

Once we got inside, apparently our guests decided to do merchandise shopping in the beginning. So we went straight to a shop. The shop sells some ninja-themed toys, from wooden swords and shuriken. They toy looks real, so hopefully they still could pass airport security!

There was also another shop that offers game for kids, like target shooting game and wheel of fortune.

After buying enough souvenirs, we proceeded more inside the village. The village itself is replica of Japan during Edo period, there were also some staffs dressed in Ninja or Samurai costumes, making the atmosphere even more convincing

There was also a small alleyway that was filled with ancient-style Japanese houses that also had mannequin of people living on that era. It looked creepy at first, but eventually I found it fascinating. Make sure you do not miss this small alley when you visit this place.

Geisha show

After doing a bit of exploration, we then proceeded to watch Geisha show. This show was held only few times in a day, so make sure you check the schedule before hand. We were lucky that we arrived just around half an hour before the Geisha show.

This show is definitely one of the most interesting, since they would pick random adult male from the audience to play as the “shogun”. In the end of the show, if you want to, you can use a white paper that you were got in the front door, fill it with money or snacks and throw it towards the stage as a form of tipping (This is what they did during Edo period).

Ninja Show

After enjoying the Geisha show, we proceeded to next building to watch another scheduled Ninja show. Again, in the entrance, you will be handed over a white paper that you will fill with either Japanese currency or snacks as tip. The ninja show was quite entertaining, action-filled and full of surprised. Make sure you do not miss this show when you visit this village.

Samurai show

After the ninja show, we proceeded to watch the Samurai show, this show was also equally as interesting as other two shows, having its own comedic charm. Again, in the end of the show, you can use white paper given to you in the entrance to be filled with either Japanese currency or snacks as tip.

Costume Rental

Our guests felt like want to immerse more into the Edo era, so they decided to rent costume for a whole family. The costume fee is separate fee, and they have different types of costumes for adults, kids, and both genders. I was a crappy photographer so the photo result was not that great.

Second Destination: Noboribetsu Bear Park

After spending hours in Date Jidai Village, we then proceeded to Noboribetsu Bear Park. Noboribetsu Bear Park is a popular mountain attraction where visitors can observe Hokkaido’s native brown bears in a natural setting accessible by ropeway. During winter, the snowy landscape enhances the experience, offering memorable views of playful bears against a white backdrop and making it a unique stop for wildlife lovers visiting Noboribetsu.

The bear park is located on the top of a mountain. So we need to first take a cable car to reach the park. The ticket fee has included round trip cable car trip. It was quite windy that day so the ride was quite bumpy.

Inside every cable car, there was a cute teddy bear sitting on the seat. The ride itself took only few minutes, but we could see a great scenery during the ride to the top.

The park itself is not only filled with bears, there were also other small exhibits that shows other animals, like squirrels and ducks.

Visitors can feed the bears, and the bears know about it, since we could see some of the bears begging for foods. Make sure you only feed the bears with foods sold inside the bear park. Not only seeing bears, but you can also see great scenery from the park.

We were a bit curious about the “human cage” attraction, so we decided to enter the small corridor to see what is inside. Apparently it was a glass cage in which visitors can see the bears up close as well as feeding the bears using a safe device. Our guests bought some bear foods from a vending machine and feed them directly to the lucky bears. Make sure you put the foods inside the device when the bear is around, otherwise it would become crows’ foods!

Since it was a bit chilly on the park, we decided to end our visit early, so we took a cable car back down the hill. The trip down was also equally as pleasant!

Here is the video of this 1-day tour if you are interested to see.