Today's, or rather the next seven day's, festival is the Sapporo Snow Festival. This one takes place in Hokkaido, Japan, Japan's northern most island.


This year's Snow Festival, number 58 (!) will take place February 6 through the 12th. It is Japan's largest winter event, and many foreigners come to participate each year.

So what is it? Around 2 million people come to see teams make statues out of snow and to see their finished work. The snow statues and ice sculptures are lined up all over Sapporo, but are mostly in Odori Park, Susukino (central Sapporo). The theme for the works differ from each year, but they range from baseball to mock art. People visit them during the day, but it's even better at night when the ice statues are illuminated.

The Snow Festival began in 1950 with students, and five years later Japan's Self-Defense Force (the closest thing they have to a military) joined in and built the first massive snow scultpture.

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[This Was Last Year's Opening Ceremony]



[View of Odori Park from the Sapporo TV Tower]





[The TV Tower Itself]


[Ice Sculpture]


[Disney Snow Art]


[Spirited Away Snow Art]


[Godzilla Statue]


[So Many Snowmen!]

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Links:
~ The Official Sapporo Snow Festival Site (in English)
~ Lots of Pics

Coming Up:
~ 47 Ronin Festival (promise I'll get to it)
~ Hina Matsuri (March 3)