Sapporo Snow Festival

It is one of the largest winter events in Japan. Teams from outside Japan come to participate and the festival is thought to be an opportunity for international relations. About two million people come to see the enormous beautiful snow statues on display in Odori Park.

The topic for the statues varies and is likely to feature an event or famous person from the past year. For example, in 2004 there were statues of Matsui Hideki; the famous baseball player who plays for the New York Yankees. There are also long ice slides which people can actually slide down.

The Snow Festival began in 1950, when local high school students built six snow statues in Odori Park. In 1955, the Japan Self-Defense Forces joined in and built the first massive snow sculpture, for which the Snow Festival has become famous. Sometimes, in years when the amount of snowfall is less heavy than usual, the Self-Defense Force has to bring in snow from other places to open the festival.

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