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  • Sapporo Snow Festival

    Posted at 8:29 am by Charlotte, on February 8, 2019

    Our next destination was the snow festival of Sapporo.  Since spring school term started this week, James and I spent the morning running errands, and we enjoyed getting out to explore as a family in the afternoons.

    There were 3 main sites to the festival: the snow site, the ice site, and the family site.  All were beautifully managed and mannered, and peppered with delicious street food to delight the senses further whilst admiring the beautiful frozen art works.  

     

    Highlights from the snow festival
    Highlights from the snow festival
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    And we couldn’t forget this little chappie!

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    Highlights from the ice site
    Highlights from the ice site
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    Highlights from the family site
    Highlights from the family site
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    James’s errands mostly involved getting replacement cables and electronics.  He decided to wait till Tokyo for a haircut, but I braved Sapporo for a wax. The Japanese wax service was as precise and intricately performed as the Latin American ones had been flamboyant and fast.  It took over 2 hours(!) for a leg wax…..

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    …..and that was with 2 of them going at it at the same time!

    I could have managed it faster on my own with a pair of tweezers and a blindfold!  Other applicable cultural details of note included the ‘waxing dress’ (a kind of pinafore worn over knickers and top) required put to protect my modesty (while they waxed up to my inner thigh…….and strictly no further), and the slippers I was required to wear to walk across the 2 foot corridor from the changing room to the cubicle, which would have been too small for Emily about 4 years ago.

    As the week progressed we encountered interesting new gastronomic opportunities:

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    At a yakitori restaurant the girls discovered that chicken was no longer the safe option!

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    At a seafood restaurant we (regretfully) passed on the squid guts and the spicy cod innards in favour of a plate of chips, which the Japanese take to a whole new level – battered and deep fried (still probably a better option than the squid guts)!

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    Squid guts: photo courtesy of Google images

    But imagine the delight when we allowed the girls to tuck into (safe) cup noodles!

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    Only surpassed when we discovered that not only is it polite to slurp the soba or udon noodles in your ramen, but that for ultimate politeness the slurp should be followed by a burp!

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    And the hot chestnuts at the snow festival were the best!

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    Overall we are starting to feel acclimatised to life in Japan, at the same time as knowing we have barely scratched the surface and there are so many exciting discoveries and adventures to be had.  Next stop more snow!

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    Author: Charlotte

    | 4 Comments |

    4 thoughts on “Sapporo Snow Festival”

    • Matteo Marzano

      February 21, 2019 at 11:03 am

      Thanks for the ice-pics, so beautiful !
      Remember when, many years ago, Sapporo hosted wonderful World Skiing Games !
      Enjoy Japan, a very High Courtesy Country !

      Reply
      • Charlotte

        February 21, 2019 at 11:06 am

        We hiked past one of the old buildings from the games – it looked like a crazy kind of bunker. Loving the manners here and trying to learn a few words so we can be as polite as possible!

        Reply
    • Isaac Ford

      February 22, 2019 at 10:29 am

      Hi Bell and Emily,looks like you are having an amazing time at the snow festival I wish I could have seen them. They look so massive and detailed.

      see you soon Isaac

      Reply
      • Charlotte

        March 1, 2019 at 11:35 am

        Hi Isaac
        Wish you and Erin could have been there too. Your dad would have loved some of the cartoony ones and may be you too. Hope we can hang out together next summer. Whats going on at home?
        Love Bella and Emily xxx

        Reply

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