Sapporo, capital of the mountainous northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, is famous for its beer, skiing and annual snow festival featuring enormous ice sculptures. The Sapporo Snow Festival began in 1950.At present, it has become a major wintertime spectacle in Sapporo attracting over 2 million visitors from all over Japan and abroad. Snow sculptures and ice sculptures large and small line Odori Park for around 1.5 km between 1-chome and 12-chome, and the statues are lit up at night. you can also watch their works in progress during the festival. The Tsudome site has giant snow slides and other ways to have fun in the snow, while the Susukino venue features an ice sculpture contest, an ice bar, and colorful lighting for night-time viewing.