The first Sapporo Snow Festival was held in Odori Park in 1950, with only six snow statues made by local high school students. Since then the Snow Festival expanded.
In 1955, five years after the first Snow Festival, the Self Defense Force joined in and built the very first massive snow sculpture, for which the Snow Festival has become famous.
Sapporo hosted the Winter Olympic Games in 1972, and the Snow Festival was largely acknowledged around the world through international media. In 1974, the International Snow Sculpture Contest started as part of the Snow Festival. Many countries from overseas, including the ones that never receive snow, compete the Contest every year. Iced heart in Japan.
February 6 – February 12 in 2012. → here
Its gonna be really cold this year so the sculptures will look pristine for much longer.
Japan is very snowy right now..