SAPPORO, Feb 9 — Perhaps it’s thanks to the heat of the tropics, but we often take the summery atmosphere of Chinese New Year for granted. Further up north, however, it’s still winter. Spring won’t arrive for another month, at least.
If our fingers trace the lines of the map upwards, from Thailand to Taiwan, and then beyond the subtropical climes of Okinawa, past Kyoto and Tokyo, till we reach the northernmost island of Hokkaido, we will find that winter is in full swing.
We’re not talking about a gentle snowfall here, a mere shimmering blanket of powder. Hokkaido is so cold during winter even the seas seem to freeze over.
In fact, it’s peak season now which is why every year the Hokkaido capital of Sapporo holds its annual Sapporo Yuki Matsuri or (Sapporo Snow Festival). The 2022 edition runs from February 5 to 12. There will be hundreds of ice and snow sculptures lining the streets of the city’s shopping boulevard of Susukino and famous Odori Park.
This matsuri has been taking place for well over 70 years already; the very first one in 1950. It began with some Sapporo high school students making a few snow statues in Odori Park (a central part of the city even then).
Only six humble statues... yet together they drew about 50,000 curious visitors, fascinated by the artful display against the pristine snow. Fast forward five years and now giant snow sculptures began making an appearance, courtesy of the Self Defence Force. Everyone wanted to join in the fun.
Today, the construction of massive snow structures, from steep embankments to sprawling walls, continues to be in progress right till the first day of the matsuri. Giant slides for children and adults alike to toboggan down; their sleds made from large pieces of corrugated cardboard.
In fact, the Sapporo Snow Festival is now by far the largest winter festival in all of Japan. Some of the humongous snow sculptures exhibited at Odori Park now rise as high as 15 metres!
There is much to explore given this segment of the matsuri stretches from Nishi-1-chome to Nishi-12-chome. That’s a dozen streets in total, covering 1.5 kilometres from end to end.
This is a white world of familiar anime characters, from Astro Boy to Doeramon. This is a time for friends and strangers alike to join in the shovelling of snow together, creating new paths and forging new bonds.
After a couple of years lost to the global pandemic, the 2022 Sapporo Snow Festival marks a return to the age of ice (sculptures). We head to the Susukino end of the matsuri; this is also known as the Susukino Ice World. It’s a name that lives up to its promise.
We spot dozens of ice sculpture contestants already hard at work. They are bundled up in thick layers, so that they might stay warm as they carve large blocks of ice into what hopefully resembles their original designs.
The screech and whirr of chainsaws, the chipping clatter of smaller picks. Every step is a dance with the fragile nature of the ice and a prayer everything goes according to plan. And if it doesn’t, well, that’s just how it is.
The art of crafting ice sculptures requires both skill and creativity. But also, if you ask any of the ice sculptors, a bit of luck (or pluck, as some might have it; you need courage to wield these dangerous tools and play with such brittle material). Some good fortune in the Lunar New Year, perhaps.
The final ice sculptures are intricate and beguiling. How did these fantastical creatures, from fiery dragons to soaring phoenixes, come to be? From nothing but frozen water and a skilful artisan’s hands.
When night falls, everything is illuminated so the hours after sunset are perhaps the best time to view the ice sculptures. The Illumination Street, with lit-up snowmen and fairy lights laid across a tunnel, is a fantastic spot to take selfies (and many visitors do).
When night falls, the same ice sculptures are illuminated and given new life.
You look above and amid the strings of fairy lights, a single snow globe is glowing, like a winter moon from a distant land. You can’t help but brim with wonder: How magnificent all of this is!
It is a winter wonderland. A little piece of magic to remind us, for all the troubles in the world right now, that there is still awe and there is still inspiration. It’s a call for us to do more, to achieve greatness and to be filled with the joy of it all.
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