|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
IHG ANA HOTELS in Japan. Check it out.
Here,we introduce hot sightseeing spots and cultural information from the areas
close to IHG ANA HOTELS in Japan. Check it out! |
|
 |
|
 |
Deep in the Hokkaido winter, one
event has visitors flocking to the city of Sapporo, braving the subzero temperatures
for a week of icy fun and excitement. The Sapporo Snow Festival now attracts more
than 2 million people every year making it one of the biggest events of Japan's
festival calendar. From humble beginnings, it has certainly come a long way.
It was in 1950 that a group of high school children created six imaginative snow
sculptures in Sapporo's Odori Park. The sculptures attracted an unexpected amount
of attention and gradually it became a custom for the people of Sapporo to build
sculptures there every year. In 1955, the Self Defence forces got involved to
build the first giant snow sculptures and in 1972, the festival was held during
the Sapporo Winter Olympic Games, giving it international recognition for first
time.
Since then, the scale of the festival has increased dramatically to include many
kinds of music and entertainments as well as an international snow sculpture competition.
Snow sculpting teams from as many as 20 different countries have taken part in
recent years. Teams have even come from countries where it never snows and won
the competition!
There are now three sites that play host to the festival. Odori Park is where
to see the competition entries as well as sculptures created by the people of
Sapporo. The Self Defence force base at Makomanai is where to bring the kids to
play on snow slides and see huge sculptures of well known cartoon characters and
the nightlife district of Susukino is where ice sculptors get to show off their
crystal-like creations.
During the 7-day festival, Sapporo is transformed into a glittering fairytale
land of snow and ice sculptures large and small. Stunningly detailed recreations
of famous architecture from around the world often feature, as do historical figures
and imaginative fantasies. All in all, the Sapporo Snow Festival is a spectacular
and unique event with a welcoming and distinctly international flavour.
The festival is held every year in mid-February and makes a great mid-winter break,
especially if you can combine it with skiing or snowboarding at one of the numerous
resorts nearby. One word of advice - book transport and accommodation as early
as possible as during the festival week it is almost impossible to find places
to stay. Apart from that, wrap up warm and enjoy the fun! |
 |
 |
|
|
