Is an attempted apology even enough? I would try to blame it on the internet troubles I had for-- maybe two months? But truth is, I just need a kick in my chair to get me rolling. (Seriously, I have a ton of things to talk about!)
I promised a Snow Festival post. Here it is!
The Snow Festival, held in Sapporo, lasts a week (usually February), but you can go earlier and see the works being sculpted, I imagine that can be amusing or awe inspiring, or why not both? I remember a terrible traffic jam on the way to Sapporo that day, most likely due to bad weather up here (in the mountains). I was more than ready to jump out there with my brand new camera to take awesome pictures to show my friends, and you, of course.
My friends and I started off by watching some really really young skiers perform acrobatics. My jaw dropped a few times. ("Is he really 11!?") The day was quite cold as we set off to tour Oodori park, navigating in between the crowd. I gotta hand it to the weather though, it had been warm all week (of course it had to be), so if
the sculptures seem a bit-- melted, it's probably because they were...
Here are some pictures:
There were a few stages, all amazing not only due to their sheer size, but also the amount of detail. I know they have help sculpting, but still, accomplishing this in a week or so astounds me. If you ever plan on going (I hope you can, one day), remember that sculptures and stage alike look much, much prettier at night.
Making our way down Oodori, we passed by some entertainment on stage. One had a game of some kind with children, another had Bingo, and another had a singer, who was pretty good - SHUN from Osaka (ironically in front of the ice replica of Osaka castle). Feel free to experience for yourself here. (I meant to embed the video here, but for some reason, it just wouldn't work. What the heck, blogger, what the heck?)
Any One Piece fans? You'd probably have gawked at that stage, it seriously was huge! Sadly, that's when my camera decided it was too cold, and literally just about froze. I can't say I hadn't been warned, but I just shook my head, and smiled: "It'll be fine." Yeah, no.
As soon as the sun disappears, especially in winter, the temperature
drops. (Ask my hands, or my face.) I kind of freaked, mostly because it
was brand new, the screen should turn itself off, not keep telling me to
wait until the last picture is saved or whatever it actually says. Most
terrifying was the lens, and its stubborn refusal to whirl back in
coupled with my fear of scratching it in my pocket.
Making a long story short, warming up the camera took forever and obviously killed the battery, at least I'm warned for next year? (I'll have a spare, that's for sure.) The saddest part of the story? I missed some great shots, including professional sculptures entered in a contest, everything lighted up, and some hilarious "Engrish." (Pictures to come.)
I found consolation in the form of roasted chestnuts. Having grown up eating these every year on the winter streets (especially Christmas markets), the least I could be was ecstatic or overjoyed! The snob in me I couldn't help but notice a slight difference in taste, but they were delicious regardless. After finishing the Oodori round, we thought it best to go check out the Susukino sculptures, as there are three sites for the Snow Festival (the last is by Sapporo Dome). Except-- we got distracted by the sparkling attractiveness of the ferris wheel on top of some building. And what the heck, we went on it. I was not even scared a little. No elevator music, or was there?
And that, is how my first Snow Festival ended, with a grandiose night view of Susukino. The next morning, I battled a blizzard to get home... But that is another story. Now I must debate what to post about next.
Dear readers:
Do you want me to talk about something specific? Did you notice I gave the blog a facelift? What do you think? What about my writing, is it too long? Boring? Rambling? I'd appreciate feedback! :)
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