The Sapporo Snow Festival, in Sapporo, Hokkaido is arguably Japan’s best-known winter festival. This event takes place every year in early February at venues all over Sapporo: dates for 2012 are February 6 to 12. Over two million visitors come to Sapporo for the festival, including about 50,000 tourists from abroad. The gigantic snow sculptures erected by Sapporo citizens and Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force can truly be considered works of art. Themes for structures at the 2011 Sapporo Snow Festival included musical Lion King, The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests(China) and an Nishi-Hongan-ji temple (Kyoto). The sculptures are illuminated at night, and the main street leading from the Sapporo rail station is all done up in lights.