Huge cartoon characters highlight Sapporo's Snow Festival.
...feeling of a snowbound county fair. Except for the gobs of fatigues-uniformed soldiers and drab-green military versions of the Hughes 500 helicopter circling overhead. The extra troops are on hand to ensure that al-Qaida doesn't launch a surprise attack on the acres of frozen unicorns, Pokemon characters and ice castles...[the Makomanai Site of the Snow Festival is] a military base, and most of the sculptures were erected by army units on government time.
"For an American, it seems an odd use of your army, but everybody seems to be happy they did it ? the results are fantastic," said Tanny Petchor of Atlanta.
See the Sapporo's Snow Festival here
