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The 73rd Sapporo Snow Festival began in Sapporo, Hokkaido, on Saturday. The festival, featuring more than 160 ice and snow sculptures, is open to the public for the first time since 2020. It was held online only in 2021 and 2022 due to the coronavirus.
This year’s event also marks the 100th anniversary of Sapporo being incorporated as a city.
The festival, which runs until Feb 11, is being held at two venues — Odori and Susukino. The Tsudome venue is not being used this year.
Organizers said that some anti-coronavirus measures will be in place. There will be no food and beverage booths, visitors are asked to wear masks, while the number of people at viewing spaces and on walkways will be restricted to prevent crowding.
Some of the large sculptures over 10 meters tall include Embley House, an historic building in Embley Park, Hampshire, England, the home of the family of Florence Nightingale; and Hokkaido Ballpark F Village, where the Nippon Ham Fighters new baseball stadium will open in March.
© Japan Today
13 Comments
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Jeremiah
Thank you, JapanToday, for reporting about this event.
Please add more than one photo of the Snow Festival in future reporting.
boriswood
The article is wrong in that it was fully open in February 2020. We were there. Masks were not being worn and the pandemic had only just started.
Moderator: Yes, you are correct. We apologize for the mistake.
Stephen Chin
Born in Singapore directly under the hot sun of the equator, I have loved the snow of Quebec an eastern Canadian province since the mid sixties when I settled in Canada. I have cycled out every 365 days with my pet dogs: Scherzo, Wolfgang, Doodle and Rosie to the local park where I exercised with an arms length two inch oak pole in slow motion. Last week I received a letter from Canada's capital city signed by Governor General Mary Simon wishing me a happy ninety-third birthday. It made me happy indeed.
OssanAmerica
Alot of people in Sapporo are skipping wearing masks outside. But everybody still wears them inside stores, trains, crowded places. Stores and restaurants have signs asking customer to wear masks in them. Which I think is pretty rational and reasonable.
OssanAmerica
@boriswood
That's correct. It was just at the start of the Pandemic, before masks. If I recall, a worker involved in the 2020 Snow Festival was one of the first reported Covid cases.
OssanAmerica
What foreign vistors? Must be 1/20th of what it was during the 2020 Snow Festival. The resident foregners all wear masks like most of the locals.
CrashTestDummy
Incredible structures. Lots of work and effort to make them.
Sheikh Yerboaby
Otori?! You mean Odori....as in Odori Park...right in the centre of the city.
deanzaZZR
My wife and I were there a month ago. I didn't see much different in mask usage there compared to Tokyo to be honest. Maybe a little bit less because of so many foreign visitors, but not much.
Alot of people in Sapporo are skipping wearing masks outside. But everybody still wears them inside stores, trains, crowded places.
deanzaZZR
Someone tell the Japanese masses that walking around outside in sub zero temperatures has little to no risk of virus transfer. I don't know about you, but I would enjoy some warm beverage or snack to warm the body while enjoying the event.
Elvis is here
Nice to see them masks. Keeps us warm. And safe.