Yuki-matsuri

This weekend I flew to Sapporo for the Yuki-matsuri festival. It was a great experience and I really enjoyed the trip. The snow sculptures were huge and so interesting. However, I really loved the ice-sculptures because they were so beautiful and detailed.

On the first day we went to Sakaemachi which was near the the snow dome and there were huge snow slides there. Unfortunately the weather started to get really stormy and the slides were closed so we didn't get to go on them. It was very cold and windy. Then we went to Odori Park to see the snow sculptures.

The three sculpture below were part of the international competition, they won first, second and third place.

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After the park we went to the Sapporo Bier Garten for yakiniku, which was called the Genghis Khan meal. I had lamb and vegetables but what made it so delicious was the dipping sauce. When we left it was snowing a lot and we had fun snowball fight with some Japanese people we met. It was really funny.

On the second day we went to find the ice sculptures and this was my favourite part of the festival. The sculptures were amazing!

This little boy was enjoying playing in a car sculpture, he was so cute!

This peacock sculpture was my favourite.

It was very cold so we had to keep stopping to have warm drinks.

Then we went to have Ramen, although I think I ending up having Soba noodles instead. It was tasty though.

On the last day my friend and I decided that we wanted to relax so we caught the bus out of Sapporo to the Jozankei Onsen Resort. Afterwards, back in Sapporo we went out for Curry Soup. A friend had recommended I try this but I wasn't sure I would like it. However I was surprised to find that it was delicious and definitely my favourite meal in Japan.

Yuki Matsuri-Day 2

On the night of day 1, my friends and I were lucky enough to have a really cool waiter at the restaurant where we ate. He was interested in learning English, so he offered to guide us to Tsudome the next day. Tsudome had ice slides and lots of snow activities. There was also a massive dome with food inside and stands with things to see. It was definitely worth bearing the cold to see it. Plus, I got some Starbucks beforehand, the absolute best thing in the world.

Our waiter, me, Carly, and Julie

Yuki Matsuri-Day 1

After wondering through Odori Park and all the snow sculptures, we decided to visit Ishiya Chocolate Factory. There is a really nice view of Sapporo from here. Also, we experienced warmth and relaxation as we sipped on hot chocolate and ate little cakes. Snow fell really often in Sapporo, but I think it was really nice and fitting for this occasion. I couldn't have imagined it any other way.

Sapporo TV Tower

Ishiya Chocolate Factory

The Snowy Streets of Sapporo

Yuki Matsuri-Ice Sculptures

Towards the beginning of February, I went to Sapporo in Hokkaido with about 35 other ALTs. We visited during Yuki Matsuri, Sapporo's snow festival. I'll try to make a few posts about my trip. In this one, I've included the ice sculptures. I'm not exactly for sure what to say about them other than they were really cool. I think the pictures are pretty self-explanatory. I think it's incredible that anyone could make anything like that out of a massive block of ice. While looking at the ice sculptures, we took frequent trips to warming rooms because it was absolutely freezing. I really enjoyed the snow though. If it's going to be winter, it might as well snow. That makes the cold bearable.