Susukino

photo by 663highland · CC BY 2.5

photo by こまっちゃん · CC BY 3.0

One of the three great entertainment districts of Japan: about 3,500 venues today.

After sunset the neon signs light up south of Susukino Station, across about 3,500 venues, less than half the peak of more than 5,000. It is one of the three great entertainment districts of Japan, together with Kabukichō (Tokyo) and Nakasu (Fukuoka), and in winter it also becomes one of the three official sites of the Sapporo Snow Festival.

The district began in the late nineteenth century as a leisure area for the workers of the mines and factories of a growing Sapporo, and grew to become, by number of venues, the largest entertainment district in Japan north of Tokyo. The number of establishments has fallen from a peak of more than 5,000 to about 3,500, with a further drop below 2,000 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

ℹ️ It is a neighbourhood of public streets, open to walk through at any time; each venue keeps its own hours, mostly in the evening and at night. In February it hosts one of the three sites of the Sapporo Snow Festival: the 2027 edition is announced for 4–11 February, but the official website gives no fixed rule for the dates of later years.

🚉 Susukino · in front of the station

Sources: snowfes.com

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