Snow Festival 2001
-
The heavy snow this winter was perfect for this year's snow festival.
There are various snow festivals held around northern Japan usually
during the month of February. At this year's snow festival the
250th birthday of Uesugi Yozan was celebrated. Uesugi was one
of the founding fathers of Yonezawa and a man who was respected and
spoken of by President Kennedy. The festival included snow lanterns,
ice sculpture, fireworks, and very large snow sculptures.
- Audrey
is dressed warm for the chilly evening. The snowfall makes for
a perfect scene.
- All
along the frozen moat of the Uesugi Shrine, the food vendor's booths
glow as the sun sets.
- Mmmmm...delicious
(?) fish on a stick. That blue bucket behind the man contains
very fresh fish.
- At
the shrine the crowds begin to gather. Here a family poses for
a photo in front of the snow lanterns. A couple hundred thousand
people attend the snow festival during the two day weekend from all
over Japan.
- Audrey
got busted!? No....she just stands for a picture with our friendly
neighborhood police.
- This
was a ceremony praying for the souls of the soldiers who died in World
War II.
- As
night falls, the lanterns are lit and it really is a pretty sight!
Click
here to
see more of the Snow Festival!!
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