Most viewed - Sapporo 札幌市 |
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They turned out to be very lively. When you're dressed this lightly, it's best to move a lot to keep warm in freezing temperatures.111 views
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The day after the snow festival ends, all the sculptures are promptly destroyed for safety reasons. With sadness, I watched it being destroyed. You can see the reinforcing wooden beams inside.111 views
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A Shinto shrine made of ice.111 views
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Bear and cubs111 views
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The second site of the Sapporo Snow Festival is here in Susukino, a short walk from Odori Park. Susukino is a well-known nighttime entertainment area.111 views
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The exhibits explain about the history of Hokkaido's early settlement and development.110 views
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Construction wall for the upcoming Nissei Bdlg.110 views
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Filling up the mold...110 views
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Filling the mold for a tall neck of a dinosaur.110 views
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Ice sculpture of a church in Helsinki, Finland110 views
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I think this was the lion dog at Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine in Fukuoka.110 views
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In the next block at 3-chome was the Snowboard Jump hill standing 24 meters high and 65 meters long. They held snowboard jump tournaments during the snow festival. Free to watch.110 views
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Mini train was popular. Notice the long line in the background.110 views
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Illumination tunnel110 views
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Dragon ice sculpture wins a 1st place award.110 views
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The construction of the tower and installation of the clock was completed in 1881. The clock was made by Howard Clock Co. of Boston, MA. It is still in the Clock Tower, sounding its original chime.109 views
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The Clock Tower was used as a drill hall and ceremony hall. After the college moved, the building was used by local citizens for cultural purposes such as a library and lecture hall.109 views
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Records of songs which mention the Clock Tower.109 views
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Inside the former office of the Governor. There's a large conference table and the walls are decorated with portraits of past Hokkaido governors.109 views
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They are building the new underground passage right above the Namboku subway line which runs under Ekimae-dori.109 views
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Snow Festival poster109 views
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Sapporo TV Tower lookout deck.109 views
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2 million people visit the Sapporo Snow Festival, many from China and Korea. Many of them would love to be in warm Hawaii.109 views
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Look how beautiful this Iolani Palace ice sculpture is. I was red-faced not only from the cold, but also that no one from Hawaii did anything here.109 views
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The large citizens' area feature smaller snow sculptures created by city citizens. Snow blocks are provided.109 views
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6-chome had this medium-size snow sculpture called Seitokai no Ichizon. 生徒会の一存109 views
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Another room on the 2nd floor shows Hokkaido's international relations with sister states in Alberta, Canada; Massachusetts, USA; and Heilongjiang, China.108 views
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Governor's desk in the governor's former office.108 views
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Hitsujigaoka Observation Hill's lookout deck.108 views
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Wedding chapel. Not for tourists, but you can take the elevator to the top floor for fine views of the surrounding area.108 views
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Like the other big sculptures, various free entertainment was held on a stage in front of the Iolani Palace sculpture. This was the entertainment schedule. I was very disappointed to find nothing Hawaiian.108 views
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Now some photos of the 1982 Sapporo Snow Festival. This was when they built Iolani Palace out of snow (not ice). These are army trucks hauling in snow to the Odori Park site in early Jan.108 views
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Guess what this part will be.108 views
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Mickey and Minnie Mouse108 views
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It was not the first time Iolani Palace was built at the Sapporo Snow Festival. In Feb. 1982, it was built of snow as one of the largest sculptures.108 views
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Freyderyk Chopin by Poland108 views
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Back to the other end of Odori Park is the TV Tower.108 views
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A stately room. The governor's desk is in the right corner.107 views
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Hokkaido History Gallery includes wildlife exhibit.107 views
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Petition for the return of the Northern Territories. As of late April 2008, over 80.3 million people signed the petition.107 views
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Japan's Self-Defense Forces107 views
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The facade is shaped...107 views
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Snow leopard at night.107 views
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Hatsune Miku was much photographed. 初音ミク107 views
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Taniwha by New Zealand107 views
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Most of the rooms open to the public are on the 2nd floor.106 views
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Staircase and G8 Summit sign106 views
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Construction machinery on Sapporo Ekimae-dori.106 views
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Destroying Iolani Palace made of snow.106 views
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Even the veins look realistic. Pterodactyl made of snow.106 views
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Building an ice sculpture.106 views
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Back of the snowboard jump hill.106 views
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Booth for Poland.106 views
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Medium-size snow sculpture of Germany's Wartburg Castle. ヴァルトブルク城106 views
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German Square's main snow sculpture was this Dresdner Frauenkirche, a Lutheran Church in Dresden, Germany. フラウエン教会106 views
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Snow sculpture by Singapore106 views
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Hanoman Duta by Indonesia106 views
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Second floor corridor.105 views
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The road has temporary panels.105 views
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And no one performed hula or anything Hawaiian in front of this Iolani Palace ice sculpture. It was sad and a wasted opportunity. They dance the hula everywhere in Japan except in front of an Iolani Palace sculpture?? Does that make sense to you?105 views
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On the final night of the snow festival, they had yosakoi soran groups perform. They turned out to be the entertainment climax in front of Iolani Palace.105 views
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A drawing of Iolani Palace helps the carvers to carve the sculpture accurately.105 views
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Hello baby!105 views
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Icy foundation for the ice sculpture.105 views
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People taking advantage of the picture-taking service in front of the Northland animals.105 views
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Facing Mickey and Minnie Mouse was this PR booth by a soft drink maker. Inside was a display of Uemura Aiko's ski wear and skis.105 views
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Smaller snow sculptures made by companies and organizations also dot the festival site.105 views
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Also in 5-chome was the snow festival's largest ice sculpture: Iolani Palace, Hawaii's most famous building and built in 1882 by King David Kalakaua as the royal residence.105 views
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Here and there at the Odori Park site, freebies were give away. This line was for miso paste.105 views
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My YouTube video of Iolani Palace at the Sapporo Snow Matsuri in 2010.105 views
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From Alberta, Canada104 views
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Facing the Iolani Palace sculpture were food stalls such as this German almond food stall. I couldn't comprehend why there weren't any Hawaii-related stalls instead. How about selling macadamia nuts or having a Hawaii Visitors Bureau booth??104 views
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As I was watching all this entertainment, how I wished there would be hula dancers too. Iolani Palace, being the home of King David Kalakaua who promoted hula in Hawaii, is a symbol of the hula movement. 104 views
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Sure it's cold to perform here. But look at these girls in shorts. They weren't shivering. This is another local wannabe Hokkaido girl group called "Cream."104 views
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All they had to do is wear something Hawaiian and it would've been perfect. But of course, nobody thought of that.104 views
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Pterodactyl wings104 views
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Shaping the pterodactyl104 views
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This is a lion dog at a shrine in Fukuoka.104 views
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John Lennon104 views
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Also ski jumpers. 3丁目 スノーボードジャンプ台104 views
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About the "Zoo of the Northland" in English.104 views
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A flag-raising game held in front of the ice sculpture. The Iolani Palace ice sculpture is 16 meters wide and 8 meters high. It was built with 700 large blocks of ice weighing 135 kg (298 lb.) each.104 views
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International food stalls104 views
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Ichiro snow sculpture/statue104 views
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Booth for signing a petition to return the Northern Territories (Habomai, Etorofu, Shikotan islands) off Hokkaido, held by Russia.104 views
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The Susukino ice sculptures compete for 1st and 2nd place awards.104 views
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Going to the 2nd floor.103 views
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Hokkaido History Gallery occupies another room on the 2nd floor.103 views
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Poster for the return of the Northern Territories103 views
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Head of T-Rex103 views
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Baekje was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. 8丁目 韓国・百済103 views
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The Gift, by the Netherlands.103 views
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Korea's sculpture was the sexiest of all.103 views
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Ghost Warrior Zhong Kui by Hong Kong.103 views
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Here and there were souvenir stalls for official merchandise of the snow festival. 103 views
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The skating rink next to the foot of the TV Tower had a Christmas tree with heart-shaped lighting not noticeable from the ground.103 views
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Brandenburg Gate in ice. The ice sculptures in Susukino are lit up until midnight.103 views
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Foot of Sapporo TV Tower. An elevator takes you up to the top lookout deck.102 views
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Rear view of the Iolani Palace ice sculpture. Scaffolding propped up colored lights.102 views
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The color lighting scheme also varies slightly. The sculpture is basically backlit with green lights in the middle and orange lights on the sides. At the same time, blue lights shine on the front of the sculpture.102 views
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In the late afternoon, they start to light up the sculptures. 102 views
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Get in touch with people from Hawaii living in Sapporo/Hokkaido. They would volunteer to pass out Hawaii brochures or maybe even perform hula on the icy stage.102 views
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They even included a now statue of King Kamehameha, the king who unified the Hawaiian islands. Iolani Palace actually does not have a statue of King Kamehameha. But there is a statue of him across the street from the actual palace.102 views
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Hong Kong snow sculpture.102 views
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Wolves102 views
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Smoking was prohibited while walking at the festival site, so these smoking stations were provided.102 views
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Food stall staff shouted to attract customers' attention.102 views
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Next at 8-chome was the Baekje Royal Palace of Korea. The sculpture is 25 meters wide and 18 meters high. Apparently it was built on the occasion of the Great Baekje World Festival to be held during Sept.-Oct. 2010.102 views
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Night view of Baekje Royal Palace snow sculpture.102 views
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Playing with grandpa.102 views
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Ice slide at 10-chome called "Familyland."102 views
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Grandmother's doll cabinet by Sweden102 views
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Round Dance for Peace by Russia (Novosibirsk, Sapporo's sister city)102 views
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Another 1st place winner102 views
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T-rex102 views
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Red bricks101 views
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From Massachusetts, USA. The famous Dr. William Clark was from this US state.101 views
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Clark Chapel on the left, and on the right is the Sapporo Snow Festival Museum which opened in 2001. It used to be a wedding chapel. さっぽろ雪まつり資料館101 views
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Scale model of the Iolani Palace made of wood, painted white. Built for the 33rd Sapporo Snow Festival in 1982. The palace is in Honolulu, Hawaii, built by King David Kalakaua in 1882.101 views
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It was very impressive and made my trip to Sapporo worthwhile. The lingering question remained: Where was the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau??? Why weren't they here passing out Hawaii PR brochures?101 views
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No Hawaii events/entertainment in front of the Iolani Palace ice sculpture at the 2010 Sapporo Snow Festival. Hula is so popular in Japan, and no one danced hula in front of Iolani Palace in Sapporo??101 views
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Para-para dancer101 views
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Even though I was seeing all this entertainment totally unrelated to Hawaii, I have to say that the icy Iolani Palace made a great backdrop for these performers.101 views
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Seeing these naked guys dancing on ice in front of Iolani Palace made my day. It was my festival climax before I had to leave to catch my 8:50 pm flight back to Tokyo.101 views
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Shaping up very well.101 views
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Brontosaurus101 views
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Each giant snow sculpture becomes a pile of snowy rubble.101 views
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The Sapporo Snow Festival also features at least one giant ice sculpture. The foundation is made of ice.101 views
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Candle lights101 views
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About Dresdner Frauenkirche in English.101 views
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Entering 7-chome which was the HBC (Hokkaido Broadcasting Co.) German Square. 7丁目 HBCドイツ広場101 views
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About the Baekje Royal Palace in English.101 views
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Side view of Baekje Royal Palace snow sculpture.101 views
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In 9-chome was this medium-size snow sculpture of Hokkaido University's Agricultural Dept. 9丁目 北海道大学農学部棟101 views
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Castle in Noda, Chiba.101 views
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10丁目 ちびまる子ちゃん101 views
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At 11-chome, the International Square featured small snow sculptures made by international teams. As listed on this sign, fourteen national teams participated in 2010. 101 views
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Bowl of Life by USA (Portland, Oregon, Sapporo's sister city).101 views
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11-chome also had a cross country ski track where you could try out ski walking for free.101 views
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It was worth the wait. The night views of the snow festival was very nice. This is Odori Park at night during the Sapporo Snow Festival.101 views
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Odori Park at night during the Sapporo Snow Festival in Feb. 2010.101 views
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Many of the ice sculptures are also advertisements.101 views
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This was not the first time Iolani Palace was at the Sapporo Snow Festival. It was also featured in Feb. 1982 when it was made of snow (photos below).100 views
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Now see how another giant snow sculpture is built. It's the same process. A giant box is filled with snow.100 views
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Back of the "Zoo of the Northland" sculpture.100 views
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Tora-san in an ecological car. (Tora means tiger, and 2010 is the Year of the Tiger.)100 views
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Night view of Baekje Royal Palace snow sculpture.100 views
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Smaller snow sculptures dot 9-chome.100 views
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Ultraman by Navy Misawa in Aomori.100 views
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Sento-kun, official mascot for Nara's 1200th anniversary. Not a good likeness, but acceptable.100 views
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Ice slides for kids.100 views
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About the Hawaii team's snow statue.100 views
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Smiling Great Buddha by People's Republic of China.100 views
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Skating rink at the foot of the Sapporo TV Tower. I decided to go up the tower to photograph the night views of the Odori Park festival site. It took about 30 min. to get on the elevator to the lookout deck. 700 yen admission.100 views
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The Sususkino festival site features ice sculptures along the main road called Ekimae-dori which originates from Sapporo Station.100 views
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Another definition of "frozen fish."100 views
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Gundam100 views
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Most postcards of Hitsujigaoka Observation Hill show only this famous statue. So I had no idea that there was also a little tourist village.99 views
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The place has a large parking lot and restaurant, shops, and wedding chapels. A little tourist village has formed over the years since the Hitsujigaoka Observation Hill opened in 1959.99 views
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The Iolani Palace ice sculpture had a slim profile. This is a side view.99 views
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Unfortunately, there was no sign in English explaining the Iolani Palace ice sculpture. I looked at this list of supporters and sponsors and found no one from Hawaii listed.99 viewsおい、ハワイ州観光局はまったくいないぞ。
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ハワイPRの絶好のチャンスを完全に無視、逃がす。2百万人の来場者へのPRがパー。HPにもまったく掲載なし。99 views
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The local Self-Defense Forces build the giant snow sculptures. Power shovel piles up the snow inside a rectangular mold or box made of wood.99 views
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The reinforcement beams are covered with snow. A crane is used to carry the snow to high places.99 views
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The international section of sculptures.99 views
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A food court faced the Baekje Royal Palace snow sculpture.99 views
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Dirt sprinked on the snowy and icy paths gives your shoes better grip. It is very easy to slip and fall while walking on Sapporo's icy roads and sidewalks.99 views
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More international snow statues.99 views
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Ghost Warrior Zhong Kui by Hong Kong was very impressive.99 views
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Eastern Skunk Cabbage snow sculpture/statue 座禅草99 views
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Another tiger99 views
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More snow sculptures in Odori Park.99 views
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Salmon99 views
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Photos of international sister state exchanges.98 views
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Notice how the colored lighting varied between dark orange and white lighting.98 views
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Sign for 7-chome.98 views
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Back of Dresdner Frauenkirche.98 views
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Night view of Baekje Royal Palace snow sculpture.98 views
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The Chibi Maruko-chan snow sculpture marked the 20th anniversary of the cartoon's TV broadcast.98 views
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Too tall to be Chibi Maruko-chan.98 views
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This booth gave away hot matcha green tea.98 views
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Sauna, Sisu, and Sibelius by Finland.98 views
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Okinawa's shiisa98 views
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Buddha snow sculpture/statue98 views
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Crabs and fish frozen in this ice sculpture.98 views
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There's also the Northern Territories Room with exhibits clamoring for the return of the northern territories (Shikotan, Habomai, Etorofu). now occupied by Russia.97 views
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Approaching Hitsujigaoka Observation Hill. The place is open every day from 8:30 am to 6 pm or 7 pm during spring and summer. Slightly shorter hours during winter (Oct.-April).97 views
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I just CANNOT BELIEVE that HVB's English and Japanese Web sites neva even mention the Iolani Palace at this year's Sapporo Snow Festival.97 views
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Another boy group called B-Luck.97 views
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They continue filling the giant box with snow. They are making Iolani Palace out of snow.97 views
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Crossing the road to 6-chome. 6丁目97 views
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Dresdner Frauenkirche snow sculpture lit up at night.97 views
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TV event in front of Dresdner Frauenkirche.97 views
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Mother helping son to study.97 views
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Strange English on sign. 97 views
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The last block in Odori Park was 12-chome featuring numerous small snow statues made by city citizens.97 views
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Hitsujigaoka Observation Hill is accessible by a 10-min. bus ride from Fukuzumi Station (Toho subway line). See the famous statue of William Clark on the fringe beyond the parking lot.96 views
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Rear view of Baekje Royal Palace snow sculpture.96 views
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Chibi Maruko-chan at night.96 views
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In the foreground is the snowboard jump hill. At the top is the Northland animal sculpture.96 views
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This is the real Iolani Palace in Honolulu, Hawaii. It is next to Hawai'i's State Capitol in downtown Honolulu's King Street.96 views
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