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Sapporo’s Festival of Snow and Ice

By Awake! correspondent in Japan

DURING the long winter months, Sapporo, a northern city of Japan, lies buried in snow. For five to six months of the year, there was little for the citizens to do in the way of leisure activities until the city fathers put their heads together and hit upon an idea: a snow festival featuring huge snow statues.

In 1950, high school students were helped to build six statues, ranging from 10 to 13 feet [3-4 m] in height. About 50,000 people came to see the icy “Venus de Milo” and other statues. Yuki Matsuri, or Snow Festival, was off to a good start.

Through the years the festival has grown in size and popularity. Each year now, some two million tourists, including many from foreign countries, come to gaze wide-​eyed at the hundreds of sculptures of ice and snow. This seven-​day nonreligious winter extravaganza has become the largest of its kind in all Japan.

A Stroll Through the Festival

Of the three festival sites, Ōdori Park is the main one. This former winter snow dump runs for 11 city blocks through the heart of Sapporo. Here and at Makomanai, a short distance away, can be seen the spectacular larger carvings. Children are awed by the bigger-​than-​life-​size characters from their favorite television shows and comic books. There is the space-​age marvel Ultraman that little boys like to imitate. And nearby is Chibi Maruko-​chan with her friends, children featured in a popular television cartoon.

Adults too are amazed. An exceptionally well-​done Paris Opera House, complete with ornately engraved walls and even statues of musicians on the roof, commands attention. There is the old German Diet House, a baroque-​style snow building. The huge Arabian Castle featuring Aladdin and his ‘magic lamp’ is easy to identify.

Somewhat dwarfed by the larger sculptures are the carvings in the Citizens Square, many of which carry a special message. A carving of the Brandenburg Gate stands as a reminder of the recent unification of Germany. Some of the carvings reflect concern for the earth, its ecology, and animals.

At the end of Ōdori Park we find International Square where teams from many countries compete with one another. Some of the sculptors are professionals who normally work with marble, stone, and other materials. They were each provided with a 10-​foot [3 m] cube of prehardened snow and given three days to complete their entries.

But how are the immense sculptures created, and how do the sculptors get such amazing accuracy of detail?

How the Snow Sculptures Are Made

Building such a colossus is no easy task. In a single project, the actual building may take close to a month, involving over 1,500 man-​days. One large entry was a replica of the Flinders Street Station, Melbourne, Australia. Its dimensions were 115 feet [35 m] long by 115 feet [35 m] wide by 50 feet [15 m] high. It took 1,400 five-​ton truckloads to haul the 7,000 tons of snow used in it. No wonder that since 1955 the bulk of the job of making the behemoths has gone to the self-​defense forces, joined later by fire-​department trainees. Let us see how they go about building such grandiose pieces of snow art.

First, the subject has to be selected. Information and pictures are gathered. Based on this, models are made out of clay, papier-mâché, or other materials. Then, about a month before the festival, clean snow is gathered and transported to the construction site. There it is unloaded, tamped into a huge wooden frame and hardened with water. Next the frame is removed, the scaffolding is erected, and the carving is started in earnest.

Often working through the night when temperatures are well below freezing, craftsmen use axes and shovels for the rough work and smaller carving tools for the details.

Individuals and small groups can also get in on the fun. About a third of the hundreds of applicants from all over the country selected by a drawing are provided with guidelines from a special team of experts. Each applicant is given a seven-​foot [2 m] cube of hardened snow and five days to finish his creation.

Fascinating Attractions

The pure-​ice carvings add yet another beautiful dimension to the festival. These are made mostly by members of the Ice Carvers Union. Many are chefs from well-​known hotels who normally display their talents in banquet rooms. They are eager to come to Sapporo, and the results are delightful.

Musical performances and shows add to the festive mood. There are contests, marching bands, dancing, acrobatic ski jumping, and much more. The children are also delighted with the many ice slides, which are provided for their enjoyment and built right into the carvings.

Nighttime is a particularly good time to view the festival. Myriads of tiny white light bulbs strung from the bare tree branches in the park, together with the many colorful lights reflecting off the glistening statues, create an impressive aura of light and color in the winter wonderland. After seeing the festival, you would be impressed with what man’s God-​endowed fertile imagination and skillful hands can accomplish.

[Pictures on page 23]

Immense ice sculptures like the one below may be 115 feet [35 m] wide and 50 feet [15 m] high, requiring some 7,000 tons of snow to build