The Sapporo Snow Festival on
Hokkaido Island is a popular winter event that attracted over
two million people to visit Japan in 2005. This year will be no different, as snow-lovers decend on Sapporo from
February 6-12, 2006 for the 57th annual festival and competition. Spectacular crystal castles, statues and ice
sculptures are carved from massive blocks of snow. It often takes teams of 1,000 people over 20 days to create just one
sculpture for the international competition, which showcases hundreds of snow statues and ice creations side by side in
Odori Park. There are plenty of tour offerings out there, like
this one, or this cool
Winter Adventure Tour package with Pro Japan that includes
an option visit to the Snow Festival. Or plan a trip yourself…you’ve got some time. If you can’t make it to Japan but
want to create your own snow masterpiece, find someplace cold and use this
handy guide. Notice the use of a bulldozer — this is
serious business!