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Bookmark & shareMay in Sapporo is filled with blossoms and scent. Everyone knows spring has arrived when Hanami (Blossom Viewing) is over and the Lilac (Sapporo's official tree) Festival fills the streets with colour, awakening the city from the long, cold winter.
Over summer revellers get together at the Beer Festival, where the pride of Sapporo is downed in copious amounts, along with other foreign favourites. If you would prefer to treat your ears rather than your palate, then the Pacific Music Festival, started by Leonard Bernstein, could be just the ticket.
The weather may cool down after the Chrysanthemum Festival in late October but the streets take on a warm glow; Winter Illumination turns Ōdōri Park into a sparkling white wonderland with the help of over 300,000 lights. In early February crowds descend upon the city for Sapporo Yuki Matsuri (Sapporo Snow Festival), where sculptors from around the world work with the snow in the streets.
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Ice Sculpting Heats Up
podcast by Ray Bartlett, January 2007
The chainsaws grind and the competition gets fierce in this podcast from Sapporo's Snow Festival frontline. Read the full article ›
Tags: Festivals & Events • Sapporo
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