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Read More About Japan on GoNOMAD Want to see life-sized dinosaurs or a 30-foot sculpture of New York Yankee’s outfielder Hideki Matsui? What about if they were both made of snow? Then you should head to Hokkaido, the northernmost of the Japanese Islands, around the first week of February. Just a Bunch of Kids The Sapporo Snow Festival has been a tradition for more than half a century. It started in 1950 with some high school students trying to outdo each other by building elaborate snow sculptures in Odori Park, Sapporo’s central park. This caused other people to join in and created a yearly tradition. The festival took a major turn when the Self Defense Force joined in a few years later. Using their engineering skills, they were able to build much larger sculptures with far more intricate details. Nowadays some sculptures are 50 feet tall and 150 feet wide. Read more... A Beginner’s Guide to Sumo Wrestling At 8.30, just after we’d gleefully got hold of a pair of tickets, a drummer atop the stadium’s turret began to beat out a tune, heralding the start of that day’s tournament. Until lunchtime only junior wrestlers compete and although they are equally photogenic to the traveller’s eye, they fail to pull in much of a crowd.
We decided to mooch around some of Tokyo’s temples until we got hungry, then headed back to the stadium for a sumo-sized lunch. Genuine AdulationOur arrival coincided with that of the top wrestlers, including one of the yokozuna (grand champions). These men are the top of their field – the David Beckham of sumo wrestling, if you will – and are revered among Japanese people. We were surprised to see them walk up to the stadium through the throngs of admiring fans and receive none of the mobbing that a western sports star might experience. Then again, I guess guys this big don’t need bodyguards and no-one in their right mind would get in their way. Read more...
Read more GoNOMAD stories about Japan: Tokyo Neighborhood Guide: Seeing the Sights Climbing Mount Takao: A Delightful Escape from Tokyo The Holy Family Mission in Saku, Japan: A Peaceful Sanctuary Hot Springs and Cherry Blossoms: Experiencing Japan’s Cultural Icons Shinugu Matsuri: A Little-Known Festival in Okinawa Tokyo, Japan: Done Subway Style Traveling Tokyo Solo: What Every Woman Should Know Hokkaido, Japan: Crystal Clear Lakes and Smouldering Volcanoes Shikoku, Japan: Destination Guide Ise: Japan's Holiest Shinto Shrines Gion, The Geisha District of Kyoto Kyoto, Japan: A Mix Of Modern and Ancient
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