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.
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…..
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:
But imagine the delight when we allowed the girls to tuck into (safe) cup noodles!
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!
And the hot chestnuts at the snow festival were the best!
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!
4 thoughts on “Sapporo Snow Festival”
Matteo Marzano
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 !
Charlotte
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!
Isaac Ford
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
Charlotte
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