Snow Festival in Sapporo

Three story snow sculptures are the norm in Sapporo.  Pretty impressive masses though not very creative.  It was 5 degrees F so we were walking fast to keep warm.  After an hour of ice and snow we were psyched to duck into a Starbucks.

This Malaysian building looked like it was created 1/2 scale of the original.

Wouldn't be Japan without Manga!

The winning small scale sculpture.

One of my favorites with the backhoes lined up in the background.  Presumably to tear it all down next week.  This webpage shows the buildup of the sculptures: http://www.snowfes.com/english/daie/index.html

A few local sakes were displayed in frozen sculptures.  Check out the opaque layers within the clear glass bricks.

Local produce proudly displayed next to the ice carving competition.

The opaque ice rose in this sculpture looked like it was frozen in clear glass.

…and some unabashed advertising

Hokkaido

Jex's 6'3 frame and size 13 snow boots are very entertaining for locals.

We've just arrived in the Olympic city of Sapporo (1972) on the northern island of Hokkaido.   Niseko ski resort is located on the west coast of the island and host to winter storms from Russia that dump tons of light fluffy powder snow.

Niseko is two hours from Sapporo via a tiny train that has great underseat heaters to combat the frigid temperatures.

Thanks to the cold and mostly overcast weather there is almost always fresh snow!

A rare sunny day with views to Mt Yotei and the ocean in the distance on the right.  The farmland below produces the best potatoes, apples and dairy products in Japan.