February entry--
We had so much fun last year in Sapporo at the annual Snow Festival we just had to go back again this year! Lily and I really fell in love with Hokkaido during last summer when we went to Japanese school there for the month. It's fabulous no matter what season you visit during! If I have the money once I have a family I definitely want to bring them to Japan for the snow festival, it's so much fun for both kids and adults.
The snow festival in Hokkaido started 60 years ago when some high school students made some snow sculptures in a park. It's evolved into a HUGE outdoor festival in and around a large park in central Sapporo. It attracts almost 2 million people from all over the world every year. In addition to massive sculptures as big as office buildings built by such groups as the Japanese Army, there are smaller ones around 6 feet tall made by small groups of people from different countries. The contestants arrive about 10 days prior to the festival to start making their works of art. My favorite large sculpture from this year was called something like 'Save the World for the Children' and it had famous places such as Big Ben, and Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. My favorite small one was of the Taj Mahal!!!
Since it doesn't get super cold where I live it's nice to go somewhere (for a short time) that's really cold and has a ton of snow. (I'd say the weather in my area is similar to North Carolina? We had flurries ONCE this year in the mountainous area of town and everyone freaked out.)
I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, because well, snow sculptures don't really need detailed explanations..but here are some of the highlights/fun things I did during my super long weekend on Japan's northern most island:
1. drank Dom Perignon champagne in an ice bar with Japanese businessmen (they paid for 11 of us to each have a $30 glass of champagne!)
2. saw a drag show in a hostess club (the same said business man paid the $30 entrance fee for 11 of us)
3. made a mini snowman to join other thousands of snowmen in huge field
4. raced my friends through a huge snow maze (i lost)
5. carved a cup out of a block of ice then drank vodka from it at 11:00am (yum!)
6. climbed to the top of the Sapporo Tower using the exterior stairs (we only did it because the line for the elevator was so long - it was so windy and freezing)
7. ate amazing Indian food at my favorite restaurant in the city - great nan and curry and the nicest Indian people
8. taught 2 friends how to ski for their very first time on a huge mountain covered in fresh powder
9. watched the Japanese National Ski Team practice on the huge ski jump in the middle of the city
10.hung out with my Wakayama friends at a huge indoor beer garden/lamb restaurant!
I'm sad I won't be able to go back to Hokkaido for another cool (literally) summer but it's all good! Another time, another time..
I will included some random photo's taken throughout January; my towns annual Tuna Festival, my adult English class, and other teaching stuff...
Stay tuned for more entries from late winter/early spring!
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