 Most viewed - Sapporo 札幌市 |
Yodobashi Camera store on west side of Sapporo Station.497 views
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The 61st Sapporo Snow Festival was held during Feb. 5-11, 2010 in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Among the giant snow sculptures was Hawaii's Iolani Palace made of ice. It was the reason why I decided to see this festival again.497 views
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Daimaru Dept. Store on the west side. Notice the entrance sign celebrating the 5th anniversary of the new train station.438 views
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Yodobashi, Hokkaido's largest camera and electronics store.414 views
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Sapporo Snow Festival in Sapporo, Hokkaido is held for about a week in early Feb. These are photos of the 61st Sapporo Snow Festival held during Feb. 5-11, 2010. The main festival site is at Odori Park anchored on the east end by Sapporo TV Tower. 388 viewsI started exploring this site from here.
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Built in 1888, the former Hokkaido Government Office Building is one of Hokkaido's most famous buildings at the heart of Sapporo. With its red brick walls, it stands out among Sapporo's more modern buildings.340 views
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The Sapporo Ekimae-dori is the city's main drag running from Sapporo Station to the southern part of the city. This is what it looks like from Sapporo Station.333 views
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Ticket gate and entrance to Hitsujigaoka Observation Hill (Hitsujigaoka Tembodai). 500 yen admission is charged so someone from the ticket office boarded our bus to collect admission fees.307 views
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Tanuki-koji shopping arcade293 views
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I could only wonder if these girls knew the significance of the sculpture they were performing in front of.293 views
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"Boys, Be Ambitious" This famous statue of Dr. William Clark was built in 1976 to mark Dr. Clark's 100th anniversary of his coming to Hokkaido, the 100th anniversary of Hokkaido University's founding, and the USA bicentennial.291 views
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The new JR Sapporo Station is definitely the city's most noticeable change in recent years. It is a huge complex, a far cry from the old train station.285 views
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Odori Park's most photographed sculpture shows three ballerinas near a water fountain. Sapporo, Hokkaido274 views
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Girls in Hokkaido look healthy, thanks to Hokkaido's clean environment, wide-open spaces, and good food.271 views
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Entrance to the dome. 262 views
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Girl and Sheep sculpture at Hitsujigaoka Observation Hill, Sapporo, Hokkaido255 views
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Susukino Station subway train250 views
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With a very impressive carving of animals, this was clearly the crowd favorite. "Zoo of the Northland" features endangered animals at the 61st Sapporo Snow Festival.249 views
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An impressive snow sculpture of Michael Jackson drew crowds.248 views
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Elevated train tracks on west side.246 views
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Stretching for about 1.5 km east to west in central Sapporo, Odori Koen or Park is the city's oasis in the urban jungle. This is the heart of the park.244 views
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Makomanai site: Snow slides with Arare-chan, anime character popular in 1982.244 views
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Michael Jackson snow sculpture at the 2010 Sapporo Snow Festival. Coiled wiring is used for the hair dangling below his hat.244 views
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Inside Sapporo Community Dome, nicknamed Tsu-dome.244 views
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北海道美人243 views
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Former Hokkaido Government Office Building and tulips, Sapporo242 views
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Dr. William S. Clark (1826-1886) was a professor from Massachusetts. The statue was made by a Japanese sculpturer and sponsored by the Sapporo Tourist Association. Hokkaido University has a bust of Dr. Clark which is also popular among tourists.233 views
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This yosakoi soran group was from Hokkaido University.232 views
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Iolani Palace, a giant ice sculpture at the 61st Sapporo Snow Festival during Feb. 5-11, 2010. During the day, it has a translucent, blue look. This block is officially called the Mainichi Shimbun Ice Square232 views
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Kinkakuji Gold Pavilion in Kyoto, made of snow.231 views
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Iolani Palace, a giant ice sculpture at the 61st Sapporo Snow Festival during Feb. 5-11, 2010. During the day, it has a translucent, blue look. It is the festival's largest ice sculpture. This block is officially called the Mainichi Shimbun Ice Square229 views
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Tanuki-koji shopping arcade227 views
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Susukino Station sign226 views
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Snow leopard, very impressive.226 views
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Chibi Maruko-chan snow sculpture.223 views
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Dinosaur snow sculpture at 1982 Sapporo Snow Festival.221 views
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The Iolani Palace ice sculpture was especially beautiful at night, lit up with colorful lights. It was built by over 250 members of the Japan Ice Sculpture Association, most of whom were chefs working at Sapporo hotels.221 views
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Done and almost like the real thing. The Iolani Palace is in Honolulu, Hawaii, originally built by King David Kalakaua in the 19th century when Hawaii was still an independent kingdom. It is now a major tourist attraction.218 viewsThis photo was published in a book called "The Companies We Keep 2," published in Hawaii by Bob Sigall in Jan. 2008. The book is a compilation of various tidbits and trivia about Hawaii (my home state).
This photo was also featured on Hawaii's TV talk show "Nighttime with Andy Bumatai." See the segment at YouTube here.
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On the west side is Kinokuniya Bookstore.213 views
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Ramen menu212 views
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Passage at Fukuzumi Station, near Sapporo Dome212 views
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Inside Sapporo Station building209 views
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G8 Summit sticker in bus205 views
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Urinal with a view in JR Tower202 views
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Neon lights of Susukino, at the main intersection.197 views
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Susukino Station platform194 views
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The building was akin to Hokkaido's capitol where the governor's office was located. It was used for 80 years. Open 9 am - 5 pm, closed Dec. 29-Jan. 3. Free admission. Near Sapporo Station's south exit and visible from Ekimae-dori road.192 views
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Waiting area in Sapporo Station.191 views
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Iolani Palace stage event. This photo was published in a book called "The Companies We Keep 2," published in Hawaii by Bob Sigall in Jan. 2008.191 viewsThis photo was also featured on Hawaii's TV talk show "Nighttime with Andy Bumatai." See the segment at YouTube here.
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Ramen at Ramen Yokocho in Sapporo190 views
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Toilet with a view in JR Tower189 views
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Neon signs of Susukino, Sapporo187 views
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Construction sign showing how the new underground pedestrian passage is being built from Sapporo Station to Odori Park. It is a 4-year project, scheduled to be completed in June 2010. I wonder what they will call it. I propose "Snow Town."184 views
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Sapporo Station train platform. The platform looks dark (black) since entire station is covered. The ceiling is black. The roof is also a parking lot.184 views
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A cutie poses with a fake salmon in front of the Northland sculpture.182 views
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On New Year's Eve, a crowd gathers to hear the Clock Tower ring in the New Year.179 views
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Entrance to Pole Town, an underground passage and shopping arcade between Odori Station and Susukino.179 views
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This is Minami-guchi or the South Exit. On the far right is the JR Tower.178 views
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Susukino177 views
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Sapporo Station, North Exit.177 views
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Sapporo Station front and center on the south side.177 views
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Along the road to the former government building are display panels about Hokkaido's hisotry. Here's one about the early foreigners in Hokkaido.176 views
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Train platform in Sapporo Station. Well protected from snow.176 views
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Sapporo Seibu dept. store. I think this used to be called Gobankan.175 views
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Point Zero for Hokkaido's travel distances.174 views
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My YouTube video of Iolani Palace at the Sapporo Snow Matsuri in 2010.174 views
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Tourist information office inside Sapporo Station. Very spacious with numerous racks or tourist pamphlets.172 views
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Sapporo Ekimae-dori as seen from Sapporo Station, left side. "Ekimae" means "front of the station." "Dori" means road.171 views
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A working clock170 views
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Bus stops on the north side of Sapporo Station.170 views
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Front entrance of the Clock Tower.169 views
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First floor corridor. Most of the rooms on the 1st floor are closed to the public.169 views
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JR Tower lookout deck (temboshitsu) called JR Tower Observatory T38. JRタワー展望室169 views
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Now for some entertainment in front of the Iolani Palace ice sculpture as the crowd waits.169 views
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Aurora Town168 views
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View of Sapporo Station's north side from JR Tower.168 views
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Robinson's dept. store at Susukino's main intersection. This used to be York Matsuzakaya.166 views
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Numerous flower beds in the park.166 views
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This symbolic sculpture has been retained from the old Sapporo Station.164 views
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View of Sapporo Station's north side from JR Tower. Admission to JR Tower lookout deck on the 38th floor is 700 yen.164 views
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This is a local Hokkaido group dressed as school girls calling themselves Moegi-iro Jogakuin. もえぎ色女学院164 views
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Entrance to Aurora Town, an underground passage and shopping arcade between Odori Station and the Sapporo TV Tower.163 views
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Susukino Station163 views
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Nicknamed "Akarenga Chosha" (Red Brick Government Building), a fire in 1909 gutted the interior, but the exterior was little damaged. The building was restored in 1911. 赤れんが庁舎161 views
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Pole Town161 views
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Above the train platforms is this roof and parking lot.161 views
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View from JR Tower looking east.161 views
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The famous Clock Tower or Tokeidai is overshadowed by much bigger and modern buildings in central Sapporo. A short walk from Sapporo Station and Odori Park.160 views
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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. 160 views
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159 views
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The statue of King Kamehameha did not come out that well, but I was happy to see it nonetheless. 159 viewsHe was the king who unified Hawaii while the different islands were still ruled by different chiefs.
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Neon lights of Susukino158 views
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Odori Station157 views
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The ice sculpture was built by over 250 members of the Japan Ice Sculpture Association. Most of the 250 were from the Sapporo chapter working as chefs at Sapporo area hotels. In Japan, ice sculptures are often featured at high-priced buffets, etc.157 views
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Incredible dinosaur snow sculptures. I can tell you, this was really awesome.157 views
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Beautiful at night as well. The snow festival sculptures are lit up until 10 pm nightly during the festival. It's too cold to keep standing to watch something for more than 20 min. It's best to keep moving.157 views
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Sapporo Station is nicknamed "Satsu-eki."156 views
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Another ice slide.156 views
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Parco155 views
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JR Tower155 views
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Sapporo Station's North Entrance has a sculpture and water fountain.155 views
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Kraithong by Thailand155 views
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154 views
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Back in 1982, the second festival site was at Makomanai, a short subway ride. They had more sculptures and ice slides for kids.154 views
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View of Sapporo Station's west side from JR Tower. See the roof of Daimaru Dept. Store.153 views
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Honu snow statue by Hawaii153 views
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Second floor of the Clock Tower. Mostly pews for a lecture hall.152 views
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Water fountain and Sapporo TV Tower152 views
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See the same sculpture in front of the old Sapporo Station, which really was a train station with almost none of the shops and restaurants found in the new station building.152 views
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View of Sapporo Station's north side from JR Tower.151 views
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View of Sapporo Station's south side from JR Tower.151 views
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You can't be afraid of heights while working on these giant sculptures.150 views
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Dinnosaurs lit up at night.150 views
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Snow raft rides for 300 yen.150 views
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Sapporo Ekimae-dori as seen from Sapporo Station, right side. Notice the bus parked at the bus stop for New Chitose Airport.149 views
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One of the entrances to Sapporo Station on the south side.149 views
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Also on the south side of Sapporo Station is this countdown display for the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit to be held in early July 2008.148 views
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Tulips also give a colorful touch to the grounds. In 1968, the building was restored to its original state, and it has been preserved since then. It has an American Neo-baroque style.147 views
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In March 1969, it was designated as an Important Cultural Property. Its 2.5 million bricks were made locally and laid in a French style.147 views
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Inside a subway train (Toho Line).147 views
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Sapporo Station Kita-guchi or North Exit.147 views
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View of Sapporo Station's west side from JR Tower.147 views
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View from JR Tower looking south toward Odori Park.147 views
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Day after the snow festival: Destroy all dinosaurs!147 views
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Mitsukoshi Dept. Store146 views
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146 views
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View from Sapporo Station's North Exit146 views
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View from JR Tower looking east.146 views
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View from JR Tower looking south toward Odori Park. Sapporo TV Tower on the left.146 views
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Sapporo Ekimae-dori is not a very long road. It's only about 3 km from Sapporo Station to Nakajima Park at the south end. Yet, there's a subway station (Namboku Line) every kilometer or so.145 views
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145 views
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Sapporo Station's North Entrance has a sculpture and water fountain.145 views
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145 views
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They had a Yamaha keyboard player providing music coordinated with the colorful lighting. ２丁目 ウィンタースポーツ王国・北海道145 views
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145 views
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View from JR Tower toward Hokkaido University.144 views
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Odori Park from the TV Tower. 144 views
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Okadama Airport is right next door.144 views
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143 views
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Sculpture in front of Sapporo Station, south exit.143 views
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Evidence of underground construction work for the passage linking Sapporo Station and Odori. They already have Aurora Town and Pole Town, so how about Snow Town for the new passage?142 views
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Odori Station platform142 views
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It took about 2 weeks to build Iolani Palace out of ice. They started building it on Jan. 15, 2010. The sculpture was planned by Mainichi Shimbun Newspapers.142 views
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Kraithong by Thailand showing an alligator killer.142 views
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The Clock Tower was built in 1878 as part of the Sapporo Agricultural College established largely by three Americans from Massachusetts: Dr. Willian S. Clark, William Wheeler, and David P. Penhallow.141 views
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The interior of the Former Hokkaido Government Office Building is just as dignified as the exterior. This triple-arch staircase is what you first see when you enter the building.141 views
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Horse carriage ride for tourists141 views
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141 views
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View of Sapporo Station's west side from JR Tower.141 views
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Female snowboard jumper 141 views
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Entertainment held here included a talent contest for young wannabe idols.141 views
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Dresdner Frauenkirche means "Church of Our Lady."141 views
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Looking mean.140 views
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Honu "flying" turtles by the Hawaii team.140 views
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Hatsune Miku140 views
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Scale model of what the Sapporo Agricultural College looked like. Notice the Clock Tower. In those days, Sapporo's population was only 2,600.139 views
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The main sculpture in 2-chome. "Winter Sports Kingdom Hokkaido!"139 views
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Ice figures of winter sports athletes. When the freezing wind blows, your unprotected ears will feel it first. But in Sapporo, warm shelter is always nearby, either below ground or in a building.139 views
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Stage event 139 views
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The Sapporo TV Tower was built in 1957. The mid-level deck has gift shops.138 views
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View of Odori Park from Sapporo TV Tower.138 views
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Iolani Palace in snow, lit up at night138 views
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Odori Park is a long, rectangular park divided into numbered blocks called "chome." Next to the TV tower was 1-chome with a skating rink (free of charge) and 2-chome featuring a group of sculptures called Winter Sports Kingdom Hokkaido!138 views
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Mickey and Minnie lit up at night.138 views
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In 4-chome was the first giant snow sculpture called "Zoo of the Northland" in STV/Yomiuri Square.137 views
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Steller's sea eagle オオワシ137 views
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Michael Jackson snow sculpture 137 views
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Homer Simpson snow sculpture/statue137 views
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The clock inside the tower is Japan's oldest. The gears and other main parts are also still the original ones. Thanks to excellent care and maintenance, the clock has come this far.136 views
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The second floor has several large rooms. This is the Hokkaido Archives where Hokkaido's historical documents and records are kept.136 views
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Banner on a building urging the shinkansen to reach Sapporo.136 views
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Odori Park was originally a space to prevent the spread of fire.136 views
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6-chome also had the festival site's largest food court called, "Hokkaido Winter Food Park." There was also a large TV monitor showing how the snow sculptures were designed and constructed.136 views
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Doraemon snow sculpture/statue136 views
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Iolani Palace ice sculpture lit up at night. The sculptures are lit up nightly till 10 pm. Ice sculptures in particular become very beautiful when lit at night due to their translucence.135 views
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Hawaii needs more tourists to visit, especially the Japanese market. Why isn't HVB here promoting Hawaii with Iolani Palace in ice? This was a golden opportunity to promote Hawaii and NOBODY was doing it.135 views
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135 views
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Inside the Sapporo Clock Tower. The first floor has various display panels and exhibits.134 views
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Views from Sapporo TV Tower134 views
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Putting on the finishing touches on the sculpture.134 views
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Nandaro (What's this?), sculpture made by a local English school. It's a dog with a hammer head. Whoever thought of this must have been a crazy guy. 134 views
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Panel showing foreign instructors who taught at Sapporo Agricultural College.133 views
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On the right is the entrance to the former Governor's office133 views
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The flower beds are maintained by nearby companies.133 views
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133 views
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133 views
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Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters pro baseball team is based in Sapporo. This sculpture depicts their victory parade.133 views
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Moomin snow sculpture/statue133 views
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In winter, the water fountains are fenced off.132 views
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This snow sculpture of Iolani Palace was larger and more detailed than the ice sculpture of the palace built in Feb. 2010.132 views
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132 views
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Odori Park from the TV Tower. On the left and right sides, you can see the huge crowd of people blackening the pathways. You can see the Iolani Palace sculpture.132 views
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These blocks of ice lighted in red have carved reliefs of various winter sports. I was in Sapporo for three days and visited the festival sites every day, during the day and evening.132 views
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Penguins132 views
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"Zoo of the Northland" sculpture lit up at night. 132 views
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The roof has chimney-like ventilation outlets.131 views
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Portraits of past Hokkaido governors. The bottom row are the most recent governors.131 views
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The Iolani Palace is Hawaii's most famous building in Honolulu, Oahu. It is America's one and only former royal palace. Built in 1882 by King David Kalakaua as his residence. It had electricity installed, which was rare at the time.131 views
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They should be cheerleaders.131 views
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As the days pass, their progress becomes ever apparent as the building becomes more and more familiar.131 views
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The Iolani Palace was built in Feb. 1982 to commemorate direct flights between Sapporo and Honolulu (since discontinued).131 views
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Figure skater. The weather was mostly cloudy with occasional light snowfall during most of the festival week. The temperature was around freezing, so wearing a ski cap or jacket hood kept my ears warm.131 views
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Bear and cubs131 views
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131 views
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At a few of the big sculptures, they offered to take a picture of you in front of the sculpture with your camera. At the same time, they offered to sell you a picture they took with their camera.131 views
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My YouTube video of the Sapporo Snow Matsuri in 2010.131 views
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The Sapporo Clock Tower is an Important Cultural Property.130 views
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Former Hokkaido Government Office Building and yaezakura cherry blossoms, Sapporo130 views
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130 views
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Sapporo taxis always leave their door open while waiting for a fare. They probably do this only during the warmer months.130 views
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130 views
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View from Sapporo TV Tower.130 views
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T-rex twins.130 views
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Dream of Hanbat by Korea.130 views
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Unicorn for 2nd place.130 views
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Views from Sapporo TV Tower, looking toward Sapporo Station (JR Tower on the right).129 views
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They haul numerous blocks of ice.129 views
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The USA team sculpted the American Circus.129 views
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129 views
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Gorilla129 views
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Display of Uemura Aiko's ski wear and skis used in previous seasons. Uemura is a freestyle mogul skier who is competing in the Vancouver Winter Olympics.129 views
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Poster for the return of the Northern Territories. Her braided hair resembles the northern islands.128 views
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128 views
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G8 Summit countdown sign127 views
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Karafuto/Sakhalin Resource Library127 views
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127 views
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Odori Station127 views
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A Shinto shrine made of ice.127 views
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Mini train was popular. Notice the long line in the background.127 views
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Freyderyk Chopin by Poland127 views
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Dragon ice sculpture wins a 1st place award.127 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.126 views
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Most of the building materials, stones and wood, were procured from Hokkaido. The building is flanked by yaezakura cherry trees which bloom in early May.126 views
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Today, Iolani Palace is a major tourist attraction. Guided tours allow you to see the rooms inside, including the throne room and the small bedroom where Queen Liliuokalani, Hawaii's last monarch, was held prisoner by Westerners who overthrew her. 126 views
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Filling the mold for a tall neck of a dinosaur.126 views
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126 views
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Ice sculpture of a church in Helsinki, Finland126 views
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Mickey and Minnie Mouse126 views
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The exhibits explain about the history of Hokkaido's early settlement and development.125 views
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Adjacent pond and cherry blossoms125 views
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