Icciv's notes in Japan

Ice Ice Baby

The Yuki Matsuri or Snow festival comes to Sapporo, Japan once a year in the form of giant sculptures of ice and snow. I really wanted to go to this festival, even before I came to Japan, but with Hokkaido being a so far away from my tiny island I didn't think I would make it. With the help of Melissa getting a cheap flight deal was easy, and five of us jetted off for four days of ice and snow.

It hadn't really sunk in that I was going to Hokkaido till I sat on the plane, and at that point I realised this would be the first real snow I had ever seen. I mwean of course I have seen snow...as Rhys shows it does snow in Wales. However the snow in Hokkaido is thick power snow, and I had never been somewhere with so much of the stuff.

Day 1

Here is my first look at the snow as I stepped out of the underground station.

Look at all the snow...it was so beautiful!

Yes I am sad enough to write my name in snow...it's my first snow!

Thought this looked so pretty in the snow.

After we had reached our hotel adn Melissa had pelted me with enough "first time snow balls" it was time for dinner. It was the decision of everyone to try the local speciality of salt ramen. There we met up with two of Melissa's college friends who also teach English in Japan.

Here is the famous Ramen alley, it's so small we spent ages locating it.

In the area near our hotel (susukino) there was a section of road with the smaller ice sculptures. We went to check them out first.

So there were lots of different sculptures for advertisements.

Alistair and I stand infront of the frozen dead fish statue.


Alistair and I stand infront of the frozen dead fish statue.


This pictures for Emma, see I am getting a collection of horse statues in japan just for you!

Here is some of the statues on the road.

Cute ice house, ne?

Thought this was a really stylish sculpture.

Alistair stands with some cartoon statues.

A car made of ice!

This was a slide in the ice for kids, so cute!

Me and Pippa pose by the statue.

A Baileys Igloo, we were definately going back when that opened.

Claire posing with the giant ice bottle outside.

Pretty snow.

After looking at the smaller sculptures it was time to head to the bigger ones in the main area, Odori park.

The famous TV station tower in Sapporo, also the start point of the main section of the festival.

the tree at the beginning, I almost felt like it was Christmas.

Kay, Melissa, Me, Danielle and Claire stood infront of the squid and octopus display.


The Christmas tree again.

Me and domocon! Yeah
Rabbits
Pretty Sky

Bears, famous in Hokkaido

Ankor Wat, I got to see it in real life and in ice!

Here follows many more ice sculptures...please enjoy how pretty they are...without any explanation.

posted by Icciv @ 8:31 am