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People play in the snow in Yokohama, near Tokyo, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026.

Video. Snow and ice sculptures draw visitors to winter festival in Japan

Updated:

Visitors gathered in Sapporo as the annual snow festival concluded after eight days of large-scale snow and ice sculptures across the city.

The annual snow festival in Sapporo concluded after eight days, drawing crowds to see more than 200 snow and ice sculptures displayed at three venues across the city.

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The event, held in Hokkaido Prefecture, featured large-scale works including popular characters and athletes.

Visitors took photographs and viewed the sculptures during the final day before dismantling began.

The festival opened on February 4 and is one of the region’s best-known winter events.

Record snowfall in northern Japan over the last few weeks has blocked roads and been blamed for dozens of deaths nationwide.

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