SAPPORO - As Sapporo prepares for the opening of the "Sapporo Snow Festival" on February 4th, citizens have begun crafting small snow sculptures in Odori Park, located in the heart of the city. Odori Park, the main venue of the festival in Sapporo's Chuo Ward, will feature not only large snow sculptures exceeding 10 meters in height but also approximately 80 small snow sculptures created by citizens selected through a lottery.
Blessed with clear skies, the creation of snow sculptures commenced on Sunday. Participants, while checking their blueprints, marked the pre-prepared 3-meter-high blocks of snow with spray paint. They then proceeded with caution, using shovels and chisels to carve the snow and brooms to sweep away the fine particles.
According to the executive committee, this year's festival will include a piece themed around Shohei Ohtani, who recently joined the Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers. A man working on a seal snow sculpture with his colleagues mentioned, "The key is to skillfully carve out the roundness of the head. We want to work hard to bring out the essence of Hokkaido." Additionally, a woman creating a penguin sculpture said, "The snow is harder than I expected, and it's quite challenging. Since this is my first time making a snow sculpture, I want to progress by observing others around me."
The "Sapporo Snow Festival" will be held from February 4th to 11th.
Source: NHK
