Sapporo Snow Festival

As I promised in my last post, here is more information and lots of pictures from the snow festival. 

 

One of the first things people said we should do when we arrived on Sakhalin was try to go to the Sapporo Snow Festival.  With the next breath though, we were told not to plan on it this year, but try for next year as the free charter flight and most hotels in Sapporo are booked months in advance.  A sweet friend from our subdivision suggested that my friend Emmie and I try to go anyway - it worked!  We got calls Friday afternoon at 3PM that we had been moved up from the charter flight wait list and could have seats on the 10AM Saturday flight if we wanted them and seats the following Wednesday to get home....yes!!!  We booked up hotels that night and packed.  The only thing that would have made the trip better was if the guys could have come with us.  They were bummed to miss it, but excited for us to have the chance to go.

 

Each year around 2 million people come to Hokkaido, the northernmost Japanese island, for this festival.  Hundreds of people are involved in sculpting snow and/or ice, including the Japanese military, which each year constructs the largest sculptures.  This year was the 64th Annual Sapporo Snow Festival.  A fun fact is that my father-in-law and his family actually lived on Hokkaido for a few years growing up and he has been to this festival before!  Another festival, the Sapporo Ice Festival, runs at the same time a few blocks away, so we got to enjoy that as well.

 

Now for some pictures from the festivals...

 

The construction phase...

 

Scaffolding for Snow Structures

It's all in the Details!

Shaving the Snow...

Using a Blow Torch to Keep the Ice Clear
(and yes, the crabs and fish are real!) 

Sculpting the Ice

All of that Detail with a Drill

Another Sculpture Taking Shape

The festival during the day...

Thai Temple Replica

Cute Characters

Tribute to Japan Sculpture

The festival after dark...

Ice Castle - One of My Favorite Sculptures

Ice Scultures with Sapporo TV Tower

Ski and Snowboard Jumping Slope

Japanese Historical Sculpture - Note the Eyes Made From Ice

Ice Pagoda

Emmie and I

The Thai Temple

It's hard to see, but they even played animated movies on the snow...

Look At All The Detail

Noah's Ark

Kabuki Theater



For Ally: Pikachu

In Progress During Competition: Elephant Family

They Forgot Sakhalin!!

For All of The Fishermen in My Life

The First Car I've Driven Since December :)
 

 

While in Sapporo, we also explored a local shrine, the zoo, the chocolate factory, the Sapporo brewery, the 100 yen (aka dollar) store (5 levels!!!), a fabric store, and wandered local streets.

My Newest Favorite Animal...the Greater Slow Loris

Me and A Polar Bear

Emmie and I at the Ishiya Chocolate Factory

Watching them make the pulled sugar candy was fascinating!

The result...candy with messages inside...this one in Japanese

Outside the chocolate factory at night




It was a great trip!  I am so blessed to have a husband that was excited for me to go on an adventure without him and a new friend who was up for a last minute weekend in Japan.  If you've been to the Sapporo Snow Festival I'd love to know!