Japanese ice sculpture festival opened by former Kaohsiung mayor

日本冰雕展由前高雄市長開幕剪綵

Magnificent ice sculpture of old Taichung Train Station lights up the Sapporo Snow Festival


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The former mayor of Kaohsiung, Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), led the 69th Sapporo Snow Festival ribbon-cutting ceremony Sunday evening (Feb. 4).

An ice sculpture of the old Taichung Train Station headlines the snow festival. The icy replica is 10 meters tall, 18 meters wide and 16 meters deep (32ft x 59ft x 52ft), reported CNA.


Minus one degree Celsius (30 degrees Fahrenheit) weather did not intimidate spectators from attending the lighting ceremony and strolling through Odori Park to enjoy the art and take photos.

This year’s festival boasts 120 ice sculptures. They will be lit daily from sundown to 10 p.m. through Feb. 12.

The Sapporo Snow Festival is one of the largest winter attractions in Hokkaido. Last year, the week-long event attracted 2,640,000 tourists.


Prior to the unveiling ceremony, former mayor Hsieh hosted a dinner banquet for Taiwanese politicians in Japan.

Hsieh said that over 600,000 Taiwanese tourists visited the Sapporo Snow Festival last year. Hsieh advocates for more diplomatic exchanges between Taiwan and Japan, and proudly reviewed the economic and tourist memorandums signed last year between the two countries, reported CNA.


The Sapporo Snow Festival was first held in 1950. After Sapporo hosted the Winter Olympics in 1972, the Snow Festival received international attention and in 1974 the International Snow Sculpture Contest was added to further the city's international image.