Japanese festivals
This event is now very large and
commercialized. This event attracts over two million people from around the world every
year. About a dozen large sculptures are built for the festival along with around 100 smaller
snow and ice sculptures. Several concerts and other events are held at this festival. At the
Sapporo TV tower one can use their observation deck to view the beautiful sculptures at
Odori Park for ¥700 from 09:00-22:30 (starting at 08:00 on the weekend) (Japan-Guide.com).
Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival
Lake Shikotsu is the northernmost ice-free lake which is 363 meters deep. This festival
features a moss-covered cave, which has evergreen draped on the inside and is covered in ice
(Gianola, 2008). This festival is held from late January to mid February. This festival features
ice sculptures, small and large. At night the sculptures are illuminated by different colored
lights. There is a fireworks show during the festival as well. Admission is free. Amasake (hot
annaabi.ee 
