Sapporo Snow Festival - a feast for the eyes
Winter is on its way to the northern hemisphere, and in Sapporo, on Japan’s northernmost main island, that means The Snow Festival, which is held every February mainly in Odori Park, and attracts two million visitors from Japan and all over the world.
During the festival hundreds of fantastic snow statues and ice sculptures line Odori Park, the grounds of Satoland, and the main street in Susukino, turning Sapporo into a winter wonderland of white crystal ice structures and pristine snow sculpture. The sculptures literally are breathtaking – there are fabulous recreations of famous buildings, such as Nijo Castle and the Taj Mahal, crystalline white dinosaurs jostle for attention with giant snowmen.
The Snow Festival began in 1950, when local high school students built six snow statues in Odori Park. Then in 1955, the Self-Defense Force joined in and built the very first massive snow sculpture, something which they now continue to do. From these small beginnings the festival grew to become one of the biggest and most well-known of Hokkaido’s winter events.
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Sapporo is not only famous for its Snow Festival, but also for its lovely beer – well known Hokkaido brands include Sapporo Beer, and the traditional Yebisu beer. Sapporo is also famous for its ramen noodles, and you can also get a very good Genghis Khan here – I don’t mean the Mongolian warlord, but the very excellent Chinese style sauteed lamb with onion and vegetables.