Sapporo Snow Festival: Incredible snow sculptures in Japan
- Published
These incredible ice sculptures have gone on show as part of the Sapporo Snow Festival in Hokkaido in northern Japan. Over 2.7 million people visited the event last year. But a warm winter this year has meant organisers have had to bring in extra powder by truck so that the sculptures could still be built.
The first Sapporo Snow Festival was held 70 years ago in 1950. It only had six snow statues which were made by local high school students.
As part of the festival, nine teams from around the world compete to have their sculpture named as the best. This one, made by a team of sculptors from Thailand, is this year's winner. The idea behind it is to show how climate change is becoming an increasing threat to some species, such as sea turtles.
We'd choo choo choo-se to go on this little train. The mini steam locomotive goes through the "Cup Noodles and Rui Hachimura's snow tunnel".
You'll neigh-ver believe this horse is made out of snow. It's a giant sculpture showing the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe which is a horse race held at the Paris Longchamp Racecourse in France.
This impressive sculpture shows a giant owl which can be seen watching over the National Ainu Museum - a centre which is about to open for indigenous northern Japanese Ainu people.
Visitors can also fit in a bit of sledging. It'd be rude not to when there's so much snow to play in!
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