February 7th, 2015
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[Sapporo Snow Festival] One of 3 Major Snow Festivals That 2 Million People Visit in World

CONTENTS

Sapporo Snow Festival
List of Venues
List of Accommodations
- Odori Park
- Susukino

Sapporo Snow Festival

Sapporo Snow Festival (札幌雪まつり) is a snow event held in Sapporo city, and has been held since 1950, and the biggest snow festival event in Hokkaido, and one of 3 major snow festivals in the world together with Québec Winter Carnival in Canada and Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival in China. Open period is only about one week in early February, and more than 2 million people visit here during the time. In the daytime, snow sculptures look only white, but those turn into colourful themselves according to illumination or projection mapping in the evening, and more and more tourists gather. Concerts and jumping performance of snowboarding are held, too, and the tourists get excited. By the way, the Sapporo is very cold in the February, so you had better wear a warm outfit. Especially, you had better wear a warm outfit carefully in the evening.

Odori Park

Odori Park (大通公園) is in the very center of Sapporo city, and is located between Sapporo Station and Susukino. Offices and commercial facilities are built around the park, and it is just at very center of the big city. But 92 types 4,700 trees such as lilac, Japanese elm and cherry tree are planted, and fountains and flower beds are built, so the park is well-known as a place of relief for Sapporo citizens as well as tourists. The park has been chosen as one of The 100 Best Roads in Japan (日本の道100選), Japanese City Park Best 100 (日本の都市公園100選), The 100 Best Townscapes (都市景観100選) and Japan's Top 100 Historical Parks (日本の歴史公園100選), so it is one of the most famous parks in Japan. Article is here

SAPPORO

Sapporo (札幌) that about 1,960,000 people live is the largest city in Hokkaido. Although there are various theories, its origin of the name is "Dry Big River (乾いた大きな川)" in Ainu language. A population of the Sapporo is the 4th largest city after Yokohama, Osaka and Nagoya in japan, and the population accounts for 36 % of Hokkaido's population! So the Sapporo has been flourished as the center of the Hokkaido. The area of the Sapporo is 1,121.26 km2, and is about as big as Hong Kong, and is the 7th largest city in the Hokkaido. The Sapporo is also famous as a tourist city, and about 15 million people come. As for a climate, it is hot that temperature rises to nearly 25 degrees in a summer, but it is easy to live without moisture. I always feel a little cool. It is cold that temperature falls to nearly -10 degrees in a winter, and amount of snowfall sometimes has more than 1 m. Article is here

Winter Festivals in Hokkaido

Snow often begins to fall around Christmas season, and Hokkaido is covered with the snow until late March that snow begins to melt, the ground turns into the white world in a winter. The snow falls in silence, and the temperature falls, too, and its peak is February, and various winter events that snow, ice and coldness can be enjoyed are held all over Hokkaido around the February. Article is here

List of Venues

A main venue is Odori Venue (大通公園), and other venues are Tsudome Venue (つどーむ会場) and Susukino Venue (すすきの会場). The snow sculptures can be enjoyed mainly at the Odori Venue, the ice sculptures can be enjoyed at the Susukino Venue, and snow activities can be enjoyed at the Tsudome Venue.

Odori Venue

The Sapporo Snow Festival is held at Odori Park located in the center of the Sapporo, and about 120 snow sculptures and about 10 ice sculptures are built at the park with 65 m width and 1.5 km length. Snow sculpture and ice sculpture builders are the Self‐Defense Forces and Sapporo citizens. In addition, International Snow Sculpture Contest is held to be rivaled workmanship by world select teams, too. A ski jump stand with 24 m in height is established, too, and air events of skiing and snowboarding are held. By the way, food stalls gather from Hokkaido and world, and it is one of the pleasure that the tourists can enjoy tasty foods. Admission free.

5 large snow sculptures or ice sculptures with over 15 m in height are built as the highlight of the snow festival, and most local TV stations such as STV, HBC, HTB and UHB in the Sapporo manage those. Production period is about a month. They make something in fine detail without cutting corners in their works, so the visitors will be moved by their works. In addition, projection mapping over the most large snow sculptures or ice sculptures can be enjoyed.

Movie of JRA Projection Mapping 2016

Odori Site, Sapporo Snow Festival — Skate Rink

Atmosphere of Sapporo Snow Festvial 2016 Can Be Watched on Youtube

Movie of Sapporo Snow Festvial 2016

When the Sapporo Snow Festival is finished, they begin to destroy the snow sculptures on the next day. Its dynamic action is popular for the tourists. The destroying time is not announced, but the snow sculptures are begined to destroy around 09:00 am.

Odori Venue, Sapporo Snow Festival, Snow Sculptures Destroying Performance — Snow Sculpture Is Blindfolded

Movie of Snow Sculptures Destroying Performance

Admission fee	Free of charge
Parking lot	A parking is not provided
Business hours	09:00-22:00
Regular closing day	From mid February to late January
Telephone number	+81-11-281-6400
Home page	Home page is here
Mapcode	9 492 857*38

Susukino Venue

Susukino Venue is built on Sapporo Ekimae Road (札幌駅前通). It takes about 10 minutes from the Odori Park to here on foot. About 60 ice sculptures are created along the road, and visitors will open their eyes widely at a minute technique. An ice bar is built at the site, too. Because the ice sculptures are in the middle of the road, please be careful about cars. Admission free.

Atmosphere of Sapporo Snow Festiva in Susukino Venue Can Be Watched on Youtube

Movie of Sapporo Snow Festiva in Susukino Venue

Admission fee	Free of charge
Parking lot	A parking is not provided
Business hours	09:00-22:00
Regular closing day	From mid February to late January
Telephone number	+81-11-281-6400
Home page	Home page is here
Mapcode	9 492 325*68

Tsudome Venue

Tsudome Venue is located in Higashi ward, Sapporo, and is far away from the center of the Sapporo. The difficult of access is a blot on slightly far. There is nothing for it but to secure large place. The Tsudome Venue is roughly divided into 2 activities, an outdoor activity and an indoor activity in a dome. Children can play happily. There are food stalls in the dome, too. Admission free. Because there is not a parking lot of privately-owned cars, and it is convenient for visitors to use a shuttle bus. The shuttle buses provide service from here to Azabu station (麻布駅), the Odori Park and Sakaemachi station (栄町駅).

Tsudome Venue, Sapporo Snow Festivalり — Tsudome

Atmosphere of Sapporo Snow Festival in Tsudome Venue Can Be Watched on Youtube

Movie of Sapporo Snow Festival in Tsudome Venue

Admission fee	Free of charge
Parking lot	A parking is not provided
Business hours	09:00-17:00
Regular closing day	From mid February to late January
Telephone number	+81-11-281-6400
Home page	Home page is here
Mapcode	9 705 553*17