'Star Wars,' castle sculptures on display at Sapporo Snow Festival

The annual Sapporo Snow Festival opened Wednesday, showcasing around 200 ice and snow sculptures, including one with a "Star Wars" theme, across three sites in Hokkaido's largest city.

On display at the 76th festival are a sculpture of the "Star Wars" characters Mandalorian and Grogu, and another approximately 15 meters high of Tsuruga Castle in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, both in Sapporo's Odori Park.

Visitors can also see a sculpture of Hokkaido University's Furukawa Hall created to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the school, originally founded as Sapporo Agricultural College.

A snow slide has been installed at Sapporo Community Dome, a multipurpose hall known as "Tsudome," while about 60 ice sculptures have been erected in the Susukino entertainment district.

Many visitors gathered at Odori Park on the first day of the weeklong spectacle, taking pictures of the massive sculptures.

"The attention to detail even at the high points is impeccable. I wonder how they made it," Yoshiaki Kuni, 70, who was visiting the festival for the first time, said as he viewed the snow sculpture of Tsuruga Castle.

His 69-year-old wife, Hideko, said, "It's impressive to see in person."

The festival, which began in 1950, attracts around 2 million people from Japan and around the world every year. From 2027 onwards, Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force will reduce its sculptures from two to one.