We now sit just weeks out from the ‘famous-even-in-the-world’ Sapporo Snow Festival and carving and compacting is well underway for the giant structures that will dominate the park throughout the first weeks of February. First-years will hopefully be excited to come along and see what it’s all about, but in this land of snow and ice, Sapporo is certainly not the only city to be rising to the cold construction challenge.

Throughout the island smaller municipalities are holding their own version of the snow festival – whether it be from small towns with ice lantern parades, Furano with its snow festival, Sounkyou with ice palaces that will surely boggle your mind, or the shores of Toyoko with illuminated ice sculpture that cast dancing light across the lake, February is the month to get out and see the wintry wonderland at its man-made best.

For those interested in bringing the ice-sculpting and excitement to their own front door, how about having a crack at making your very own igloo? It CAN be done – I have blisters and a giant grin to prove it. All you need is a shovel, a snow saw, and a genki genki friend – it really is even more fun than it sounds and when you’re done you have a warm little snow home all of your own. You can have tea parties in there. Promise. For more information, check out
http://people.howstuffworks.com/igloo3.htm .

If that’s a little much for your taste and you opt for the tour-route be sure to take care to keep hydrated and be particularly mindful of your feet – those little in-shoe foot-warmers are almost a necessity if you’re spending a long time walking slowly from one ice giant to the next. Another issue can be the ‘kokusai-kaze’ that Sapporo’s known for– a high concentration of tourists just about guarantees that especially strong strains of cold and flu do a good job of spreading through the crowds. Staying warm and keeping your face wrapped up in your scarf should lessen your chances of falling victim to that special wonder.

Keep in mind, too, that January and February are the key months for snow sports on the island. While the powder still falls in March (and in some places through to April…or May) the best falls will occur within the next few weeks – if you’ve been putting your trip off until the ‘really good stuff’ comes – now’s the time to get out and make the most of it.

Hope everyone’s having a great winter and are happy with the re-contracting decisions they’ve made. Any concerns or questions, feel free to send them my way.

Take care,

Chelle