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Event
Information:
The
Sapporo Snow Festival is a famous
festival held annually in Sapporo,
Japan over seven days in February.
Currently, Odori Park, Susukino, and
Tsudome are the main sites of the
festival. The Yuki-matsuri
dates are February 7 to 13. The
festival is one of Japan's largest
and most distinctive winter
events.[2] In 2007 (58th Festival),
about two million people visited
Sapporo to see the hundreds of snow
statues and ice sculptures at the
Odori Park and Susukino sites, in
central Sapporo, and at the Satoland
site. The festival is thought to
be an opportunity for promoting
international relations.
International Snow Sculpture Contest
has been held at the Odori Park site
since 1974, and 14 teams from
various regions of the world
participated in 2008.
The
subject of the statues varies and
often features an event, famous
building or person from the previous
year. For example, in 2004, there
were statues of Hideki Matsui, the
famous baseball player who at that
time played for the New York
Yankees. A number of stages made out
of snow are also constructed and
some events including musical
performances are held. At the
Satoland site, visitors can enjoy
long snow and ice slides as well as
a huge maze made of snow. Visitors
can also enjoy a variety of regional
foods from all over Hokkaidō at the
Odori Park and Satoland sites, such
as fresh seafood, potatoes and corn,
and fresh dairy products.
Every
year the number of statues displayed
is around 400 in total. In 2007,
there were 307 statues created in
the Odori Park site, 32 in the
Satoland site and 100 in the
Susukino site. The best place to
view the creations is from the TV
Tower at the Odori Park site.[3]
Most of the statues are illuminated
in the evening. The Sapporo Snow
Festival Museum is located in the
Hitsujigaoka observation hill in
Toyohira-ku, and displays historical
materials and media of the festival.
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