The large snow sculpture of Tsurugajo Castle is seen at a venue for the Sapporo Snow Festival in the city’s Chuo Ward, Feb. 4, 2026. (Mainichi/Kenichi Mito)
SAPPORO — The 76th Sapporo Snow Festival started on Feb. 4 in Sapporo, Hokkaido. The festival is famous for its big snow and ice sculptures. It takes place at three places in the city, including Odori Park.
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At the main park, there are 136 snow sculptures. Some are over 10 meters tall. This year, there are five giant snow sculptures, including ones showing “Star Wars” characters and Tsurugajo Castle from Fukushima Prefecture.
Last year, more than 2.3 million people visited the festival from Japan and other countries. This year, it is not clear if as many people will come because of big events like the national election and the Winter Olympics.
Even though there was a lot of snow in Sapporo in January, the snow sculptures were made as planned.
Besides the three main places — Odori, Tsudome, and Susukino — there is also a special event at Sapporo Dome.
(Japanese original by Kenichi Mito, Hokkaido News Department)
Vocabulary:
sculpture: a piece of art made by shaping snow, ice, or other materials
venue: a place where an event happens
festival: a special event with fun activities
giant: very big
AloJapan.com