 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.477 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. 375 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.323 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.287 views
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I could only wonder if these girls knew the significance of the sculpture they were performing in front of.281 views
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Tanuki-koji shopping arcade279 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.276 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.275 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.257 views
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Entrance to the dome. 251 views
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Girl and Sheep sculpture at Hitsujigaoka Observation Hill, Sapporo, Hokkaido241 views
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Susukino Station subway train240 views
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An impressive snow sculpture of Michael Jackson drew crowds.238 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.237 views
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Inside Sapporo Community Dome, nicknamed Tsu-dome.237 views
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Elevated train tracks on west side.236 views
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Former Hokkaido Government Office Building and tulips, Sapporo233 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.231 views
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Makomanai site: Snow slides with Arare-chan, anime character popular in 1982.231 views
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北海道美人229 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.229 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.220 views
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Kinkakuji Gold Pavilion in Kyoto, made of snow.220 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 Square220 views
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This yosakoi soran group was from Hokkaido University.218 views
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Susukino Station sign217 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 Square216 views
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Tanuki-koji shopping arcade215 views
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Snow leopard, very impressive.210 views
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Chibi Maruko-chan snow sculpture.210 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.209 views
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Dinosaur snow sculpture at 1982 Sapporo Snow Festival.207 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.203 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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Passage at Fukuzumi Station, near Sapporo Dome202 views
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Ramen menu201 views
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Inside Sapporo Station building198 views
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G8 Summit sticker in bus194 views
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Urinal with a view in JR Tower189 views
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Neon lights of Susukino, at the main intersection.188 views
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Susukino Station platform183 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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Neon signs of Susukino, Sapporo176 views
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Ramen at Ramen Yokocho in Sapporo175 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."174 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. 2008.174 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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A cutie poses with a fake salmon in front of the Northland sculpture.173 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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Entrance to Pole Town, an underground passage and shopping arcade between Odori Station and Susukino.171 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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Sapporo Station front and center on the south side.168 views
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Sapporo Station, North Exit.167 views
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On New Year's Eve, a crowd gathers to hear the Clock Tower ring in the New Year.166 views
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Susukino166 views
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Train platform in Sapporo Station. Well protected from snow.166 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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Tourist information office inside Sapporo Station. Very spacious with numerous racks or tourist pamphlets.165 views
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Point Zero for Hokkaido's travel distances.163 views
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Sapporo Seibu dept. store. I think this used to be called Gobankan.162 views
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Sapporo Ekimae-dori as seen from Sapporo Station, left side. "Ekimae" means "front of the station." "Dori" means road.161 views
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Bus stops on the north side of Sapporo Station.161 views
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JR Tower lookout deck (temboshitsu) called JR Tower Observatory T38. JRタワー展望室161 views
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My YouTube video of Iolani Palace at the Sapporo Snow Matsuri in 2010.161 views
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Aurora Town160 views
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A working clock158 views
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Now for some entertainment in front of the Iolani Palace ice sculpture as the crowd waits.157 views
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Front entrance of the Clock Tower.156 views
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Robinson's dept. store at Susukino's main intersection. This used to be York Matsuzakaya.156 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.156 views
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View of Sapporo Station's north side from JR Tower.156 views
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First floor corridor. Most of the rooms on the 1st floor are closed to the public.155 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155 views
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Entrance to Aurora Town, an underground passage and shopping arcade between Odori Station and the Sapporo TV Tower.154 views
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Numerous flower beds in the park.154 views
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Pole Town153 views
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Susukino Station153 views
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This symbolic sculpture has been retained from the old Sapporo Station.153 views
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Sapporo Station is nicknamed "Satsu-eki."149 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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View from JR Tower looking east.148 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.147 views
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Above the train platforms is this roof and parking lot.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. 147 viewsHe was the king who unified Hawaii while the different islands were still ruled by different chiefs.
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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.147 views
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Neon lights of Susukino146 views
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Water fountain and Sapporo TV Tower145 views
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Sapporo Station's North Entrance has a sculpture and water fountain.145 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.145 views
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Kraithong by Thailand145 views
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Odori Station144 views
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Parco144 views
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Another ice slide.144 views
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View of Sapporo Station's south side from JR Tower.143 views
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Incredible dinosaur snow sculptures. I can tell you, this was really awesome.143 views
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View of Sapporo Station's north side from JR Tower.142 views
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Honu snow statue by Hawaii142 views
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Second floor of the Clock Tower. Mostly pews for a lecture hall.141 views
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You can't be afraid of heights while working on these giant sculptures.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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Sapporo Ekimae-dori as seen from Sapporo Station, right side. Notice the bus parked at the bus stop for New Chitose Airport.140 views
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JR Tower140 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.140 views
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One of the entrances to Sapporo Station on the south side.139 views
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View of Sapporo Station's west side from JR Tower. See the roof of Daimaru Dept. Store.139 views
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View from JR Tower looking east.138 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.137 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.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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Sapporo Station Kita-guchi or North Exit.137 views
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View of Sapporo Station's west side from JR Tower.137 views
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View from JR Tower looking south toward Odori Park. Sapporo TV Tower on the left.137 views
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Snow raft rides for 300 yen.137 views
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Inside a subway train (Toho Line).136 views
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View from Sapporo Station's North Exit136 views
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View from JR Tower looking south toward Odori Park.135 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135 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 toward Hokkaido University.134 views
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Dinnosaurs lit up at night.134 views
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Horse carriage ride for tourists133 views
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Day after the snow festival: Destroy all dinosaurs!133 views
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Okadama Airport is right next door.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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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?132 views
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Mitsukoshi Dept. Store132 views
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Sculpture in front of Sapporo Station, south exit.132 views
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View of Sapporo Station's west side from JR Tower.132 views
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Odori Park from the TV Tower. 131 views
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Honu "flying" turtles by the Hawaii team.131 views
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Steller's sea eagle オオワシ130 views
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Entertainment held here included a talent contest for young wannabe idols.130 views
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Dresdner Frauenkirche means "Church of Our Lady."130 views
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The main sculpture in 2-chome. "Winter Sports Kingdom Hokkaido!"129 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.128 views
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Stage event 128 views
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Michael Jackson snow sculpture 128 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.128 views
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Homer Simpson snow sculpture/statue128 views
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Hatsune Miku128 views
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Looking mean.127 views
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Female snowboard jumper 127 views
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Kraithong by Thailand showing an alligator killer.127 views
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Doraemon snow sculpture/statue127 views
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Banner on a building urging the shinkansen to reach Sapporo.126 views
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Odori Station platform126 views
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View of Odori Park from Sapporo TV Tower.126 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.126 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.126 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.125 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.125 views
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Views from Sapporo TV Tower125 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.125 views
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In 4-chome was the first giant snow sculpture called "Zoo of the Northland" in STV/Yomiuri Square.125 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 2,600.124 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.124 views
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Mickey and Minnie lit up at night.124 views
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The Sapporo TV Tower was built in 1957. The mid-level deck has gift shops.123 views
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Odori Park was originally a space to prevent the spread of fire.123 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!123 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.122 views
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The Iolani Palace was built in Feb. 1982 to commemorate direct flights between Sapporo and Honolulu (since discontinued).122 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.122 views
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Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters pro baseball team is based in Sapporo. This sculpture depicts their victory parade.122 views
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Moomin snow sculpture/statue122 views
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Panel showing foreign instructors who taught at Sapporo Agricultural College.121 views
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In winter, the water fountains are fenced off.121 views
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They should be cheerleaders.121 views
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Iolani Palace in snow, lit up at night121 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.121 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.121 views
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Dream of Hanbat by Korea.121 views
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My YouTube video of the Sapporo Snow Matsuri in 2010.121 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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Inside the Sapporo Clock Tower. The first floor has various display panels and exhibits.120 views
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The flower beds are maintained by nearby companies.120 views
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The Sapporo Clock Tower is an Important Cultural Property.119 views
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Former Hokkaido Government Office Building and yaezakura cherry blossoms, Sapporo119 views
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The roof has chimney-like ventilation outlets.119 views
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Odori Station119 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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This snow sculpture of Iolani Palace was larger and more detailed than the ice sculpture of the palace built in Feb. 2010.119 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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Unicorn for 2nd place.119 views
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View from Sapporo TV Tower.118 views
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As the days pass, their progress becomes ever apparent as the building becomes more and more familiar.118 views
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Putting on the finishing touches on the sculpture.118 views
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They haul numerous blocks of ice.118 views
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Bear and cubs118 views
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Gorilla118 views
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"Zoo of the Northland" sculpture lit up at night. 118 views
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The second site of the Sapporo Snow Festival is here in Susukino, a short walk from Odori Park. Susukino is a well-known nighttime entertainment area.118 views
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On the right is the entrance to the former Governor's office117 views
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Portraits of past Hokkaido governors. The bottom row are the most recent governors.117 views
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Poster for the return of the Northern Territories. Her braided hair resembles the northern islands.117 views
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Views from Sapporo TV Tower, looking toward Sapporo Station (JR Tower on the right).117 views
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T-rex twins.117 views
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Penguins117 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.117 views
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View of Odori Park from Sapporo TV Tower.116 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.116 views
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The USA team sculpted the American Circus.116 views
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Dragon ice sculpture wins a 1st place award.116 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.115 views
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G8 Summit countdown sign115 views
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Karafuto/Sakhalin Resource Library115 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.115 views
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They install wooden beams serving to reinforce the snow structures.115 views
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A Shinto shrine made of ice.115 views
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6-chome had this medium-size snow sculpture called Seitokai no Ichizon. 生徒会の一存115 views
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Adjacent pond and cherry blossoms114 views
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Rear of the triple-arch staircase.114 views
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Cannon balls114 views
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Sapporo TV Tower anchors the east end of Odori Park.114 views
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