Snow Miku – The wintry version of the virtual songstress!

Snow Miku, known as Yuki Miku (雪ミク) in Japanese, is the winter-themed version of Hatsune Miku, inspired by the northernmost Japanese prefecture of Hokkaido. Her original design was based on a pure-white sculpture of Hatsune Miku that was displayed at the 2010 Sapporo Snow Festival. Snow Miku has appeared at every Sapporo Snow Festival since then and has become somewhat of a mascot for the event and even Hokkaido itself! The Sapporo Snow Festival is held across seven days, with many Hatsune Miku fans making the pilgrimage to Hokkaido to see Snow Miku in action.

Snow Miku Design Competition

Since 2012, Piapro, the official online community for Vocaloid media, has held a design competition for Snow Miku’s costume. Miku fans from around the world can vote for the finalist’s designs, with the winner having their creation transformed into that year’s Snow Miku’s costume! Designs are also requested for Snow Miku’s trusty companion, Rabbit Yukine. Since 2015, Piapro has provided a theme for the design, with submitting illustrators each giving their own unique take on Snow Miku’s and Rabbit Yukine’s costumes.

Popular Snow Miku Merch

Snow Miku Nendoroids

Since Snow Miku’s very first appearance in 2010, Good Smile Company has worked with the Vocaloid team to create adorable chibi-fied Nendoroids of the wintry Miku! The super-cute Hatsune Miku Nendoroids go on advance sale at the winter Wonderful Festival every year, with pre-orders for the figures beginning in February.

Snow Miku figma

The first Snow Miku figma was released in 2014, recreating her original silvery-blue design from 2010. Since 2015, winners of the design competition have had their versions of Miku transformed into figmas, just like their Nendoroid counterparts. As with the Nendoroid releases, you can purchase that year’s Snow Miku figma at the winter Wonder Festival, or pre-order the figures starting in February.

Snow Miku Gift Plushies

Gift produces a variety of different anime and gaming merchandise but is particularly famous for its high-quality plushies. Starting in 2012, the company has been selling gorgeously detailed Snow Miku plushies across Sapporo during the Snow Festival, with the plushies available for purchase on Gift’s official site once the event finishes.

How to Buy and Where to Buy Snow Miku Merch

Snow Miku merch is some of the most popular and sought-after of all Vocaloid merch, due to its beautiful designs and limited availability. Selected Snow Miku items are available for pre-order on the official Miku Store, with the pre-orders period generally finishing in late December. Once the event is over, some other Snow Miku merch may go on sale at the Miku Store, so remember to check it out once the Sapporo Snow Festival ends!

Of course, you can also buy Snow Miku items at the Sapporo Snow Festival itself, with some items being event-exclusive. If you miss out on the pre-orders and can’t make it to the Snow Festival in Sapporo, fear not, as you can try your luck on the second-hand market! Many Vocaloid fans put their Snow Miku items on auction sites like Yahoo! Auctions and online otaku shopping destinations such as Otamart.

As the Miku Store and many online retailers do not ship outside of Japan, unless you are planning to fly out to Hokkaido to visit the Sapporo Snow Festival yourself, the only way to get your hands on Snow Miku goodies is to use a bidding and shopping proxy service like FROM JAPAN. By using FROM JAPAN’s proxy buying and bidding service, you can get all of your Snow Miku merch delivered straight to your door. Celebrate wintertime with Snow Miku!