Sapporo's annual snow festival began in the city on Tuesday, amid fears over the outbreak of the coronavirus from China and soaring costs involved in transporting snow to the site amid an unusually warm winter.
The number of visitors to the winter event in the Hokkaido capital through Feb. 11 looks unlikely to break last year's record of 2.74 million after China's ban on group travel due to the virus outbreak led to a mass cancellation of hotel bookings.
Unusually low snowfall since the end of last year has added to the headaches, with organizers having to go further than previous years to procure the snow needed to create the giant snow and ice carvings that form the centerpieces for the festival. A total of some 200 sculptures of various sizes are on display at three venues.