The Festival of Fire and Ice

Yuki Matsuri.  Translated it means "snow festival".  And when you say it in Japan, it only means one means one thing: Sapporo's biggest festival of the year.  The festival is one of Japan's largest and most distinctive winter events.  Every winter, about two million people come to Sapporo to see the hundreds of beautiful snow statues and ice sculptures which line Odori Park and the main street in Susukino.  For seven days in February, these sculptures (both large and small) turn Sapporo into a winter dreamland of crystal ice and white snow.  I had the privilege of going to Yuki Matsuri and witnessing these amazing winter wonders for myself.


Our voyage began on Wednesday evening in Sendai as 35 genki (energetic) Assistant Language Teachers boarded our overnight ferry to Hokkaido.  I had never been on a ferry before, but I'd been on a cruise ship and from the outside, they looked about the same.  So wrong.  I wasn't expecting the glitz and glam that I had readily received on my cruise to the Mexican Rivera, but I wasn't expecting such drastic swaying motion, that left me feeling as if I perpetually had the drunk spins.


We arrived in Hokkaido about eleven and my cranky attitude didn't improve when we had to take a hot, sweaty two hour bus ride to Sapporo.  Thankfully when we arrived our hotel was spectacular!  With a quick shower and a cup of art coffee with Bailey's (art coffee is when the barista makes pictures in the foam), my mood had dramatically improved and we were out wandering in the snow.  Japan's snow is beautiful.  There really is no other way to say it.  The snow flakes are so big that you can see the individual crystalline structures with your naked eye.

Later that evening we had tabehodai/nomihodai (all you can eat-and-drink) at the Sapporo Beer Factory.  The food was decent, the beer was...well, Japanese (being from Oregon has made me a snob.  But it has its benefits, especially when it comes to microbrews).  It snowed almost half a foot just while we were eating!  Several bottles of warm sake later, we found a foreigner-friendly looking bar that played Top 40's music.  Oh Britney, how I have missed you!  We spent the night bonding with nihonjin (Japanese people) and foreigners alike over the beauty of the snow.

The next day I devoted to exploring Yuki Matsuri.  Me and a fellow JET strolled down Susukino admiring the ice sculptures that led to Odori Park.  It's incredible how thin they can make the ice without it cracking!  Some sculptures looked more like glass than ice.  But the real jaw-dropping masterpieces were on the main drag of Odori.  Snow sculptures the size of temples! A massive jump with snowboarders easily pulling off 720°s!  A free ice skating rink!  And an amazing international feeling, as we saw statues built by many different countries - including good ol' Portland, Oregon, USA.  I had no idea that we were a sister city with Sapporo.  Very cool, and that would explain why so many Portland JETs got shipped up North.  I will be thankful I wasn't one of them.  Enjoying the beauty of the snow falling is one thing, shoveling it out of your doorway when it reaches your chest is another.  We ate grilled crab for lunch (the whole thing, guts and all) which Hokkaido is famous for, grabbed yet another coffee (anything to keep my hands warm), and took a train to Otaru.

Otaru is a quaint little port town about 35-40 minutes from Sapporo by train.  It is known for its freshness of sushi and handblown glass.  But it is probably most famous for the canal that runs through Otaru which is adorned with Victorian-style street lamps.  It does not look like a traditional Japanese town.  

We had sushi for dinner - which was sensational!  The fish just tastes so much better here.  Plus the Japanese sure know how to make good sushi rice.  Afterwards, we walked to the canal to see the sunset.  However, when we got there, the place was bustling with people.  Absolutely packed!  Turns out we just happened to come to Otaru on the night of its Candle Festival (whether that is the actual name of the festival or not, I don't know).  The entire canal was lit up with beautiful blown glass lights.  They had them strung across the canal on wires and people had built snow lamps along the path beside the bank.  Very breathtaking, very romantic.  It was a pleasant surprise for all of us and a good chance to use my new camera.

Our last morning in Sapporo was spent relaxing in a coffee shop, eating delicious quiche, and gossiping over the trip's adventures.  Our ride back to Fukushima was uneventful, other than the horrid rocking of the ship.  I wish I could have had several more days exploring Hokkaido.  The people were so friendly and welcomed international relationships, not to mention the sheer magnificence of the landscape.  One day I hope to go back.