tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12808284.post113982291181690589..comments2024-01-02T07:21:39.696-05:00Comments on Sleeping in the Mountains: Sapporo Snow FestivalTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12346069501972114790noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12808284.post-62980559544808538422012-04-12T08:14:53.497-04:002012-04-12T08:14:53.497-04:00nice post love itnice post love itWomen leather coatshttp://www.leathernxg.com/17-womens-leather-coatsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12808284.post-1141703429373309542006-03-06T22:50:00.000-05:002006-03-06T22:50:00.000-05:00Katie in Muroran told me about your blog. I like y...Katie in Muroran told me about your blog. I like your writing. I visited the Sapporo Snow Festival on the 11th and left with feelings similar to yours. My wife and I were enjoying the crowds and the sculptures, the cold air outside and the warmth of the inviting booths along the path. Perhaps my enjoyment was propped up a little longer by my Japanese illiteracy. And then we came to the Taiwan sculpture, where we laughed at a man dressed up as a tea kettle with a long, gray fumanchu, and then went inside for a free cup of tea. Then I realized that the tea wasn't really free. It came with a sales pitch -- posters and videos of Taiwan vacation packages that even I could understand. My light heart became a little heavier, and the day seemed to lose something.<BR/><BR/>That night, we went up in the Sapporo Tower for the night view down Odori, but with the crowds it was get-in-fast and get-out-faster, no time to observe or enjoy. For my money, I prefered my visit to Tower 38 at the JR station that morning, where I was free to linger in the warm sunight in a leather armchair and watch the world go by.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for relating the charming history of the snow festival's origins. It's a shame when things become victims of their own success.Scott Lotheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17012951186058923160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12808284.post-1140047422267138142006-02-15T18:50:00.000-05:002006-02-15T18:50:00.000-05:00Good point Ryan - the festival we went to in Augus...Good point Ryan - the festival we went to in August (on Rishiri Island off the North Coast) was definitely one of the best times I've had in Hokkaido - up there with the sea urchin festival on Teuri Island in July. But remember - we hadn't heard that there was a festival happening and stumbled on it by chance. There were a few people from Tokyo there (those beautiful girls in black shirts), but very few tourists overall. When I first came to Hokkaido, my parents were excited because I could see the Snow Festival - publicity had spread to Vermont!Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12346069501972114790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12808284.post-1140012466200378912006-02-15T09:07:00.000-05:002006-02-15T09:07:00.000-05:00humm, i was there with tim. i felt mostly the same...humm, i was there with tim. i felt mostly the same as him. When we got just one block from ground zero i took my first deep breath in an hour. it felt good like i woke up from some kind of coma. but you have to go to know. What about the festival we went to in Aug. it was one of the best nights i can remember. it's true it doesn't have "famous" status yet, but it is a well known about travel spot during the high season.ryan librehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07869169355305727312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12808284.post-1139966059368694882006-02-14T20:14:00.000-05:002006-02-14T20:14:00.000-05:00Thanks for the comment Samantha. I'm glad you had...Thanks for the comment Samantha. I'm glad you had a great time in Sapporo. It's an awesome city and I hope I got that across in my post. Like you say, all big events here are tourist traps - the Snow Fest is no exception. Ignoring the commercialism is one thing, but I think a better idea is to visit cool places out of season, when the crowds are gone.Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12346069501972114790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12808284.post-1139889282493889692006-02-13T22:54:00.000-05:002006-02-13T22:54:00.000-05:00I was in Sapporo from the 4th-7th and I had a grea...I was in Sapporo from the 4th-7th and I had a great time. The atmosphere is fantastic, the people in Sapporo are amazing, the food is outstanding, the city is lovely. The Snow Festival is really no different than any other large festival in Japan besides the fact that there is snow. All big events in Japan are tourist traps and anything that becomes famous in Japan is ruined because of it. <BR/>There is a cherry tree in Nara called Matabezakura which became "the most famous cherry-tree in Japan" thanks to an appearance on NHK a few years ago... It's in a quiet town called Ouda in the east of Nara prefecture but for 2 weeks in the spring, hundreds of thousands of people descend onto this one spot... why? because it's on TV.<BR/>The tree is beautiful and just because it's a tourist trap is not a reason to avoid it. You just have to learn to ignore the commercialism and enjoy the atmosphere. The Snow Festival is no different.Samanthahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06442457606179490768noreply@blogger.com