Winter does not occur at the same time for everyone around the world, for example in Asia in December, some places can have heavy rainfall, like in Bali, whilst nearby the weather can be pleasant, like in Thailand, Vietnam and Burma,. However in some parts of northern India, such as Malaysia, Sri-Lanka, Nepal, Korea and even Japan, there can be a good amount of snowfall.
If you like traveling and experiencing a lot of contrast with the weather you can go skiing in Nepal, have some tea in the rain in Bali, and enjoy walking in the forest in Vietnam. With the pandemic, we can only dream of such travels, but don’t worry, here are some lovely images of 10 nice destinations to visit during winter.
1. Otaru, Japan
Otaru, is a port city on Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island, which lies northwest of Sapporo on Ishikari Bay. During the snowy winter days in Otaru you can visit the Otaru Snow Light Path Festival, where people distribute about 15,000 snow candles and lanterns to light up the narrow pathways, very impressive.
2. Deyogyusan National Park, South Korea
This National Park is located in the provinces of Jeollabuk-do and Gyeongsangnam-do in South Korea. During the winter a lot of people visit this place to enjoy the landscape that offers unique views with the snow.
3. Lhasa, Tibet
Lhasa means “Place of Gods”, and is the administrative capital of Tibet. This place is really famous for the breath-taking landscape during the winter and you can also enjoy some festivals like the Monlam, or the Great Prayer Festival.
4. Nagano, Japan
Nagano City, located in the former Shinano Province, is the home of the Zenkō-Ji, a 7th-century Buddhist temple that is listed as a Japanese national treasure. The most popular tourist attraction in this city is seeing bathing wild snow monkeys on mountain in Jigokudani Monkey Park. You can also visit the world-class ski resorts of Hakuba and Nozawaonsen throughout the year.
5. Almaty, Kazakstan
One of the famous places in Asia for winter activities is certainly Almaty. Throughout the year, in Almaty, there are more than 50 snow days, whilst the city has also been part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network for its music since November 2017. This picture is beautiful because you see the moon with the mountains.
6. Saporro, Japan
Sapporo is the fifth-largest city in Japan and the largest city on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. You can enjoy the Sapporo Snow Festival every year here and this is one of Japan’s largest and most popular winter events, with two million visitors coming to Sapporo to attend the Festival.
7. Shimla, India
Shimla or Shima is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh and is surrounded by stunning mountain scenery, where you can also find lots of monkeys. The snow typically falls between December and February, which is the time skiing and ice skating is most popular. The average temperature during this season is around 8°C but gets as low as -2°C.
8. Gangwon-do, South Korea
You cannot skip this amazing place in South Korea while talking about winter escape in Asia, Gangwon is a mountainous, forested province in northeast South Korea. You will be fascinated with the beautiful mountains, national parks, and waterfalls in this area.
9. Niseko, Japan
Niseko is located in Shiribeshi, Hokkaido, in Japan. This place is famous for a wider area of ski resorts encompassing Hokkaido’s Mount Yōtei. Niseko is also known for its quality powder snow and world-class facilities, including traditional hotels and restaurants, so don’t miss this place when you are visiting Japan during the Winter.
10. Harbin, China
China has so much to offer, from its culture, architecture, food and much more, but when speaking about winter destinations we must include Harbin. This city is known as The Ice City, and hosts one of the world’s largest snow and ice festivals, “The Harbin International Ice Festival”. The Festival is held from January to February and visitors can enjoy thousands of ice structures with multicolored lights.
