Sapporo Snow Festival, Hokkaido

[mojeaux131]

Some photos from the Sapporo Yuki Matsuri (Snow Festival) up in Hokkaido. I'd never seen so much snow and ice in my life. Hard to believe this whole thing started with some high school students making snow sculptures in the park in the 50s.

[TJones]

Sapporo.............as in the Sapporo BEER ? This is sponsored by a Brewery ?

[mojeaux131]

Sapporo.............as in the Sapporo BEER ? This is sponsored by a Brewery ?

Well, the beer is named after the city. I think Sapporo is the fifth-largest city in Japan, and it's the largest city on the big northern island of Hokkaido.

[Vertigo58]

Those are some fantastic snap shots! My fav is the stage and city scape. It seems dream like! I want that Leaning Tower of Pisa!

[mojeaux131]

Thanks! It was incredible. I mean, the scale of some of those sculptures...and I have no idea how they made the blue ice house. No idea. Shoot, I have no idea how they made the giant snow sculptures/stages. It was soooo much fun though, especially the Bailey's ice bar.

[editor]

Very cool. I've wanted to go there for years. I almost did back in 2004, but the plans changed.

Surprisingly, it looks a lot like the Winter carnival in Saint Paul, Minnesota. This year Chicago is trying something similar, but smaller, called the Museum of Modern Ice.