Snow better time to visit Japan

The annual Sapporo Snow Festival, or Yuki Matsuri to the locals, is one of the most popular winter events in Japan.

During the northern hemisphere winter the northernmost island of Hokkaido is blanketed with snow and, not surprisingly, the capital Sapporo is ground zero for winter entertainment.

Running from February 5 for 11, the event – the 66^th Sapporo Snow Festival – sees 199 spectacular snow statues and ice sculptures turning the streets of Sapporo into a winter landscape without peer.

Adding to the appeal, the sculptures are illuminated each night and the main street leading from the Sapporo rail station comes alive thanks to a succession of lights.

Anyone who checks out the gigantic snow sculptures erected by Sapporo citizens and Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force will be awed by the scale of these frozen works of art.

There are three sites around the city to visit. Odori Park has the majority of the icy architecture, while Susukino and Tsudome have plenty in store too.

The Susukino site is the place to visit for the intricate ice sculpture show. Tsudome, meanwhile, is a sports facility with attractions including large snow slides and a snowrafting area, which will delight families with the kids in tow.

The festival is wildly popular with both the Japanese and visiting overseas tourists, drawing between two and two and a half million visitors each year over the last five years. In 2015 a similarly large crowd is expected.

For another equally impressive experience, check out the 55^th annual Asahikawa Winter Festival, which runs from February 6 to 11.

Asahikawa, which is also the site of Japan’s northernmost zoo, also has its own impressive winter festival.

This festival’s snow sculptures are known for their size. For example, a sculpture representing Suwon Castle in the city of Suwon, Korea, had a volume of 103,591 m3 and was inscribed in the Guinness World Records as the largest snow structure in the world.

Can’t get enough of Japan’s winter festivals? Then try these four which all take place on the island of Hokkaido.

Sounkyo Ice Fall Festival (January 24 – March 29, 2015)

Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival (January 30 – February 22, 2015)

Otaru Snow Light Path (February 6 – 15, 2015)

Abashiri Drift Ice Festival (February 7 – 11, 2015)

For more information on the Sapporo Snow Festival, visit www.snowfes.com/english/index.html and for more information on other Japanese festivals throughout the year, check out www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/festivals.

©JTA/ ©JNTO

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