 Most viewed - Sapporo 札幌市 |
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.483 views
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Yodobashi Camera store on west side of Sapporo Station.474 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.430 views
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Yodobashi, Hokkaido's largest camera and electronics store.400 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. 371 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.328 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.320 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.282 views
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Tanuki-koji shopping arcade278 views
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I could only wonder if these girls knew the significance of the sculpture they were performing in front of.278 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.275 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.271 views
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Odori Park's most photographed sculpture shows three ballerinas near a water fountain. Sapporo, Hokkaido259 views
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Girls in Hokkaido look healthy, thanks to Hokkaido's clean environment, wide-open spaces, and good food.253 views
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Entrance to the dome. 249 views
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Girl and Sheep sculpture at Hitsujigaoka Observation Hill, Sapporo, Hokkaido239 views
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Susukino Station subway train238 views
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Elevated train tracks on west side.235 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.235 views
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An impressive snow sculpture of Michael Jackson drew crowds.235 views
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Inside Sapporo Community Dome, nicknamed Tsu-dome.233 views
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Former Hokkaido Government Office Building and tulips, Sapporo232 views
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Makomanai site: Snow slides with Arare-chan, anime character popular in 1982.231 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.230 views
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北海道美人227 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.226 views
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Kinkakuji Gold Pavilion in Kyoto, made of snow.220 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.218 views
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This yosakoi soran group was from Hokkaido University.217 views
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Susukino Station sign216 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 Square216 views
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Tanuki-koji shopping arcade214 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 Square214 views
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Snow leopard, very impressive.207 views
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Chibi Maruko-chan snow sculpture.207 views
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Dinosaur snow sculpture at 1982 Sapporo Snow Festival.206 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.206 views
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On the west side is Kinokuniya Bookstore.203 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.201 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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Ramen menu200 views
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Passage at Fukuzumi Station, near Sapporo Dome199 views
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Inside Sapporo Station building198 views
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G8 Summit sticker in bus191 views
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Urinal with a view in JR Tower187 views
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Neon lights of Susukino, at the main intersection.186 views
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Susukino Station platform182 views
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Waiting area in Sapporo Station.182 views
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Toilet with a view in JR Tower181 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.179 views
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Ramen at Ramen Yokocho in Sapporo174 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."172 views
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Neon signs of Susukino, Sapporo172 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.172 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. 2008.172 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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Entrance to Pole Town, an underground passage and shopping arcade between Odori Station and Susukino.170 views
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This is Minami-guchi or the South Exit. On the far right is the JR Tower.168 views
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A cutie poses with a fake salmon in front of the Northland sculpture.168 views
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Sapporo Station front and center on the south side.167 views
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Sapporo Station, North Exit.166 views
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On New Year's Eve, a crowd gathers to hear the Clock Tower ring in the New Year.165 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.165 views
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Train platform in Sapporo Station. Well protected from snow.165 views
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Tourist information office inside Sapporo Station. Very spacious with numerous racks or tourist pamphlets.165 views
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Susukino164 views
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Point Zero for Hokkaido's travel distances.162 views
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My YouTube video of Iolani Palace at the Sapporo Snow Matsuri in 2010.161 views
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Sapporo Seibu dept. store. I think this used to be called Gobankan.160 views
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Bus stops on the north side of Sapporo Station.160 views
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JR Tower lookout deck (temboshitsu) called JR Tower Observatory T38. JRタワー展望室160 views
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Sapporo Ekimae-dori as seen from Sapporo Station, left side. "Ekimae" means "front of the station." "Dori" means road.159 views
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Aurora Town159 views
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A working clock156 views
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View of Sapporo Station's north side from JR Tower.156 views
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Now for some entertainment in front of the Iolani Palace ice sculpture as the crowd waits.156 views
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Front entrance of the Clock Tower.155 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.155 views
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First floor corridor. Most of the rooms on the 1st floor are closed to the public.154 views
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Robinson's dept. store at Susukino's main intersection. This used to be York Matsuzakaya.154 views
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Numerous flower beds in the park.154 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153 views
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Pole Town152 views
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Entrance to Aurora Town, an underground passage and shopping arcade between Odori Station and the Sapporo TV Tower.152 views
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Susukino Station152 views
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This symbolic sculpture has been retained from the old Sapporo Station.151 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. 149 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148 views
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Sapporo Station is nicknamed "Satsu-eki."148 views
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View from JR Tower looking east.147 views
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The statue of King Kamehameha did not come out that well, but I was happy to see it nonetheless. 146 viewsHe was the king who unified Hawaii while the different islands were still ruled by different chiefs.
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Neon lights of Susukino145 views
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Above the train platforms is this roof and parking lot.145 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.144 views
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Water fountain and Sapporo TV Tower144 views
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Sapporo Station's North Entrance has a sculpture and water fountain.144 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.143 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.143 views
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Odori Station142 views
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Parco142 views
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View of Sapporo Station's north side from JR Tower.142 views
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View of Sapporo Station's south side from JR Tower.142 views
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You can't be afraid of heights while working on these giant sculptures.141 views
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Incredible dinosaur snow sculptures. I can tell you, this was really awesome.141 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.141 views
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Kraithong by Thailand141 views
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Another ice slide.140 views
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JR Tower139 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.138 views
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View of Sapporo Station's west side from JR Tower. See the roof of Daimaru Dept. Store.138 views
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Second floor of the Clock Tower. Mostly pews for a lecture hall.137 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.137 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 2008.137 views
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Honu snow statue by Hawaii137 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.136 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.136 views
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One of the entrances to Sapporo Station on the south side.136 views
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Sapporo Station Kita-guchi or North Exit.136 views
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View from JR Tower looking east.136 views
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View of Sapporo Station's west side from JR Tower.136 views
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View from JR Tower looking south toward Odori Park. Sapporo TV Tower on the left.136 views
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Inside a subway train (Toho Line).135 views
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View from Sapporo Station's North Exit135 views
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Sapporo Station's North Entrance has a sculpture and water fountain.134 views
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View from JR Tower looking south toward Odori Park.134 views
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Snow raft rides for 300 yen.134 views
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Dinnosaurs lit up at night.133 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.132 views
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Horse carriage ride for tourists132 views
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Day after the snow festival: Destroy all dinosaurs!132 views
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Mitsukoshi Dept. Store131 views
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Sculpture in front of Sapporo Station, south exit.131 views
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View of Sapporo Station's west side from JR Tower.131 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131 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?130 views
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View from JR Tower toward Hokkaido University.130 views
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Odori Park from the TV Tower. 130 views
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Okadama Airport is right next door.130 views
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Entertainment held here included a talent contest for young wannabe idols.128 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.127 views
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Steller's sea eagle オオワシ127 views
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Honu "flying" turtles by the Hawaii team.127 views
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Looking mean.126 views
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Michael Jackson snow sculpture 126 views
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Dresdner Frauenkirche means "Church of Our Lady."126 views
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Odori Station platform125 views
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View of Odori Park from Sapporo TV Tower.125 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.125 views
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The main sculpture in 2-chome. "Winter Sports Kingdom Hokkaido!"125 views
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Female snowboard jumper 125 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.125 views
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Doraemon snow sculpture/statue125 views
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Homer Simpson snow sculpture/statue125 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.124 views
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Views from Sapporo TV Tower124 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.124 views
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Kraithong by Thailand showing an alligator killer.124 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 2,600.123 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.123 views
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Odori Park was originally a space to prevent the spread of fire.123 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.123 views
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In 4-chome was the first giant snow sculpture called "Zoo of the Northland" in STV/Yomiuri Square.123 views
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Stage event 123 views
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Hatsune Miku123 views
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Banner on a building urging the shinkansen to reach Sapporo.122 views
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The Sapporo TV Tower was built in 1957. The mid-level deck has gift shops.122 views
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The Iolani Palace was built in Feb. 1982 to commemorate direct flights between Sapporo and Honolulu (since discontinued).121 views
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Iolani Palace in snow, lit up at night121 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.120 views
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Panel showing foreign instructors who taught at Sapporo Agricultural College.120 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.120 views
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The flower beds are maintained by nearby companies.120 views
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They should be cheerleaders.120 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!120 views
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Mickey and Minnie lit up at night.120 views
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Inside the Sapporo Clock Tower. The first floor has various display panels and exhibits.119 views
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Former Hokkaido Government Office Building and yaezakura cherry blossoms, Sapporo119 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.119 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.119 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. 119 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.119 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.119 views
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The roof has chimney-like ventilation outlets.118 views
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In winter, the water fountains are fenced off.118 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.118 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.118 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.118 views
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Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters pro baseball team is based in Sapporo. This sculpture depicts their victory parade.118 views
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Dream of Hanbat by Korea.118 views
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Moomin snow sculpture/statue118 views
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My YouTube video of the Sapporo Snow Matsuri in 2010.118 views
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The Sapporo Clock Tower is an Important Cultural Property.117 views
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Portraits of past Hokkaido governors. The bottom row are the most recent governors.117 views
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Odori Station117 views
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View from Sapporo TV Tower.117 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. 2010.117 views
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Putting on the finishing touches on the sculpture.117 views
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T-rex twins.117 views
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They haul numerous blocks of ice.117 views
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View of Odori Park from Sapporo TV Tower.116 views
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As the days pass, their progress becomes ever apparent as the building becomes more and more familiar.116 views
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On the right is the entrance to the former Governor's office115 views
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Poster for the return of the Northern Territories. Her braided hair resembles the northern islands.115 views
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Views from Sapporo TV Tower, looking toward Sapporo Station (JR Tower on the right).115 views
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They take off the mold's wood paneling and start carving the huge block of snow. Scaffolding on all sides, almost like constructing a real building.115 views
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They install wooden beams serving to reinforce the snow structures.115 views
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The USA team sculpted the American Circus.115 views
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Unicorn for 2nd place.115 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.114 views
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G8 Summit countdown sign114 views
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Karafuto/Sakhalin Resource Library114 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. 114 views
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Rear view. HVB should round up the Hawaii folks living in Japan to help them promote Hawaii. Especially now, with the Internet, blogging, and word-of-mouth being so important for PR. But us guys in Japan haven't heard one peep from HVB.114 views
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Gorilla114 views
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Penguins114 views
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"Zoo of the Northland" sculpture lit up at night. 114 views
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Adjacent pond and cherry blossoms113 views
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Rear of the triple-arch staircase.113 views
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Cannon balls113 views
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Sapporo TV Tower anchors the east end of Odori Park.113 views
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A Shinto shrine made of ice.113 views
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At 5-chome was "Place Where Dreams Come True" featuring sculpture of Mickey and Minnie Mouse and Cinderella's Castle. Disney is popular in Japan.113 views
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