Inside Japan's amazing Sapporo Snow Festival

The Sapporo Snow Festival is one of the three major snow festivals in the world. Located in Sapporo, on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, it is famous around the globe. And for those who can't travel that far, here's a glimpse into the festival and the many masterpieces that have been created for it over the years.

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Making an appearance at the 2024 Sapporo Snow Festival was Shohei Ohtani, a Japanese pitcher for the LA Dodgers baseball team who is known in the US by the nickname 'Shotime' and beloved in Japan.

This year, several characters are popular motifs for snow sculptures. The sight of them lined up neatly in Odori Park is truly impressive.

The Sapporo snow festival started in 1950. According to the official website, it began when local junior high and high school students set up snow sculptures in Odori Park.

Afterwards, the Self-Defense Forces began to participate in making snow sculptures, leading to an expansion in scale, as they started building towering, giant snow sculptures.

Later, snow sculptures modeled after overseas monuments were created, and an international snow sculpture competition was held with participants from different countries competing in skills. This transformed the Sapporo Snow Festival into a local festival to one that is rich in international flavor.

To demonstrate, here, contestants of the Miss Japan contest gather in front of snow sculptures of the pyramid and Sphinx.

In front of a snow sculpture modeled after the Itimad-ud-Daulah's Tomb in India, dancers perform the traditional Bangra dance.

And here, in front of a snow sculpture representing the Suwon Hwaseong Fortress, a World Heritage Site in South Korea, singers clad in traditional attire showcase their singing.

The Sultan Abdul Samad Building in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, also makes an appearance in its snowy form. In tropical Malaysia, it's unlikely to see this building covered in snow.

From the United States, that unnamed person of current interest has been turned into a snow sculpture. This sculpture appeared in 2017, just after Donald Trump had assumed office as the President of the United States.

Of course, there are also works and events characteristic of Japan. Here, students from a local fashion school hold a fashion show in front of a snow sculpture modeled after Nagoya Castle.

Various characters symbolizing Japanese pop culture are also a staple, including 'Kinnikuman,' shown in the photo.

For another example, Hatsune Miku, a pioneer virtual singer who led subculture music in the IT era, is also turned into a snow sculpture, as shown here.

The usually cute 'Hello Kitty' also becomes a snow sculpture of overwhelming size, making quite an impact.

Here is Totoro, a character representing Miyazaki anime, sitting majestically in one corner of the venue in its white attire.

The globally popular manga and anime 'Attack on Titan' also appears at the venue as a snow sculpture with a presence as imposing as the Titans from the series.

Manga, anime, and Western movies are all staples of the Sapporo Snow Festival. Here, the 'Star Wars' franchise is recreated in an extra-large scale snow sculpture.

The children's novel series 'The Chronicles of Narnia' has also been adapted into movies. Indeed, the White Witch, who brought a long winter to Narnia, could be said to be a perfect theme for a snow sculpture.

At night, the snow and ice sculptures are lit up in various colors, creating a fantastical atmosphere way different from the daytime.

The festival also includes visual shows projected onto the white snow sculptures. The photo shows the national treasure, the statue of Ashura, emerging on a snow sculpture modeled after the Kondo of Kofuku-ji Temple in Nara.

The snow sculpture modeled after the Itimad-ud-Daulah's Tomb in India is pure white during the day, but at night, it is dressed in colorful tropical attire through projection mapping.

This 'Palace of the Heart' is lit up in rainbow colors, exuding a fairy-tale atmosphere.

Creating such huge snow and ice sculptures turns the work into a large-scale operation. As you can see, the production scene, utilizing heavy machinery and scaffolding, resembles a construction site.

Japanese Self-Defense Force members sculpt an ice statue of the Mona Lisa, using the image as a model. They carefully shape it using special chisels and saws, with a look of intense concentration on everyone's face.

Then there's this group of adorable snowmen. Perhaps they were made by children?

According to the official website, the Sapporo Snow Festival features the Odori Site, with its impressive snow sculptures; the Susukino Site, where delicate ice sculptures can be admired; and the Tsudome Site, which focuses on interacting with snow. It's perfect for families with children.

The Sapporo Snow Festival, a winter tradition representing Hokkaido, offers a rare opportunity to see such spectacular snow and ice sculptures. It's definitely worth putting on your bucket list.

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