Kitami, Hokkaido –
Japan’s northernmost prefectural capital, Sapporo, is often cited as one of the world’s snowiest cities. However, the city’s true winter charm will be on display in early February, when it hosts the world-renowned Sapporo Snow Festival.
Running from Feb. 4 to 11, this year’s festival is the 76th edition of the local tradition. In 1950, a handful of high school students designed and created their own snow sculptures in Odori Park, which cuts a narrow, 1.5-kilometer strip through the heart of Sapporo. That modest display laid the foundation for what would become the festival’s defining feature: massive snow and ice sculptures that bring in tourists from across the country.
In recent years, a collection of 200-odd sculptures — some more than a dozen meters tall — has produced homages to historical and cultural icons like the city’s former Red Brick Building capital building, Nintendo’s Mario and baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani and his dog, Dekopin.
AloJapan.com