If snow doesn't come to Kyoto - Sapporo （札幌）

This has been an unusual winter in some ways. One of them is that it almost didn't snow in Kyoto... at least not enough to cover the ground for me to go around taking pictures.

In that case, what would become of my winter pictures in 2009?

Fear not. There was already something in my sleeve. An old wish to tell the truth.

Since I went to Himeji in 2005 I wanted to go see the Sapporo Yuki Matsuri. Still, when in Himeji I didn't have the money to do it, and last year I had my entrance exam. This year I had some JAL mileage about to expire - thus another reason to avoid postponing this trip any longer.

Another helping factor was hearing from a friend that some Brazilian exchange students were planning to gather a group to go see the festival. Thanks to that, I also got a group to have fun with and some local intel - including hotel reservation - from students living in Sapporo (Thanks Erica, Arlete and those who helped organizing the whole thing!).

Therefore, from February 6th to 9th I went to Sapporo to see the Sapporo Yuki Matsuri with a group from many different prefectures in Japan (from Yokohama to Miyazaki) of Brazilians and friends.


Those were intense four days. Even though I didn't go anywhere out of Sapporo, all four days were well spent. Especially because it's not a place simple to revisit if you are a poor student.

The "locals" said that it almost didn't snow prior to our arrival. And then we came bringing a small snowstorm with us. Nevertheless, there were periods of good weather that fortunately happened mostly while we were sightseeing.

Our group splitted in many occasions; and that was fortunate since people had different interests and it's simpler to coordinate a smaller group. The places where I've been were:

• Odori koen: The most famous area of the Yuki Matsuri. The place where the large sculptures are, although there were small ones as well. There are many companies and groups interested in obtaining a space to create a snow sculpture there. My friends in Sapporo managed to participate (together with a group) in creating one under a company's name. Some sculptures worth of note were one promoting Tokyo's bid to host the 2016 Olympics and a Disney themed sculpture built by the Japanese Self-Defense Force. There were also Totoros, Ponyos and other icons. Odori was the first place I went; and I went all four days there.




• Susukino: Not far from Odori, Susukino is a night district - or a "red-light district" if you prefer. During Yuki Matsuri, the area has many ice sculptures (while the ones in Odori are usually on snow).



• Tsudome: Nickname for the Sapporo Community Dome, the area was designed to hold one of the three sites (the other two are Odori koen and Susukino) for the Yuki Matsuri that was previously alocated in Sapporo Satoland from 2006 to 2008 and in Makomanai SDF base before 2006. Although there are some sculptures, the Tsudome area has an emphasis in providing playing space for children (in heart also).



• Mt. Okura Ski Jump Stadium: No, no one is good or crazy enough to try a ski jump. Instead, there was an event on the day where, among other activities, we could slide down the ramp on a tire tube. I didn't do it, but it's also possible to go to the top and have a view of Sapporo.



• Moiwayama: That's an excellent place to go up the ropeway and see the city of Sapporo from above. Although the view is beautiful day or night, watching the sunset and the first hours of the night is a personal recommendation.




• Kaitaku no Mura: Translated as "Historical Village of Hokkaido", the complex concentrates typical buildings from all over Hokkaido from the period when development of the region was carried on a large scale. Since that started during the Meiji period, most constructions have a certain European atmosphere, different than the usual traditional Japanese structures. We could also try jyagamochi ("potato mochi") and something that I guess was amazake.



• Sapporo Beer Museum: Hokkaido is the birthplace of beer in Japan, and Sapporo Beer one of the oldest and most popular brands. The museum itself tells the history of beer and the process of making it. Unfortunately, we didn't arrive in time to enter the museum. Our real objective lies in a different part of the complex: Sapporo Beer Gerten with an all-you-can-eat sheep meat Genghis Khan (Mongolian BBQ).



• Shiroi Koibito Park: Shiroi Koibito is a famous brand of chocolate based in Hokkaido; and the park tells the history of chocolate, has a museum with nostalgic toys from various countries, allows visitors to try making cookies themselves, and has a buffet of cakes. Arriving at the place, some people may have a feeling of approaching Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.

Those who wish to see more pictures, check my Picasa album.

Drug use prevention campaign

Enforcement of the anti-stimulant drugs law in Japan can be very severe. Quoting UK's Foreign Commonwealth Office site:

Detention for minor offences can be longer than in the UK, and prison regimes in Japan are very strict. Japan has a zero tolerance policy towards drug crime and there are severe penalties for drug offences, however minor. Detection facilities at airports and post offices are effective. There have been a number of cases of small quantities of cannabis being sent through the mail to Britons living in Japan, which have resulted in the arrest and detention of the recipients. Japanese Police have been known to require customers of bars to give samples for drug trace testing. Tests proving positive lead to arrest and prosecution, even if the drug was taken before arrival in Japan.

The use or possession of Vicks inhalers and some other common prescription and over-the-counter medicines (e.g. for allergies and sinus problems) are banned under Japan’s strictly enforced anti-stimulant drugs law. Customs officials may not be sympathetic if you claim ignorance about these medicines. If in doubt, check with the nearest Japanese Embassy before visiting Japan.

And although there are cases where it was found that Narita airport customs' officers planted small quantities of drugs on passengers' luggage to train sniffer dogs, the usual official stance when it comes to drugs is "ダメ、ぜったい" (Absolutely no).

Recently, there were many cases on the media of people busted for illegal drug possession. Of course, to reach the media in this intensity, those were not just "normal people"... at least not for Japanese standards.

Cases related to sumo wrestlers, especially those who already have a certain reputation, are bound to reach the news. Sumo was almost a sacred sport in past generations, and it is still very important nowadays, with any scandal related to the sumo world reaching the headlines.

Considering how Japanese society values the groups one belongs to, when students from prestigious universities are arrested by drug possesion it also becomes news. And recently whose news are on the rise, with students from universities like Keio, Waseda and Tokyo busted.

Actually, since the Tokyo case involved an international student, there was some aprehension that foreigners in general would get the blame (as it sometimes happens for foreigners are also seen as a group in some cases). Fortunately, it didn't happen as far as I could sense. Not that placing the responsibility mainly on the university is any better in my opinion.

And there was also a case on the university I study, Kyoto University. After I read that, I was wondering how long it would take for students to receive a notification with some sort of drug use prevention message.

I received such message, but some points of it made me think...

The weirdest of all is when they evoked "human rights":
「日常の様々な行動の中で、人権の尊重や法令遵守の重要性を自覚し、良識ある行動をとりましょう。」
Roughly translated as:
"In our everyday acts, let's be conscious of the importance of respect for human rights and observance to laws, taking sensible actions."

I'm awful in translation, so probably the meaning became weirder than the original message. Still, I checked The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and couldn't find an obvious link to the drug problem. I wonder if it's because I'm not good in Law or if the word "human rights" is becoming banalized in Japan as "sexual harassment" is becoming in a certain way...

However, they did address one important point in this question. Some of my previous links also point that many people try drugs incited by friends or seniors. The message also mentions to be careful about those situations and to have the courage to say "no".

I have to admit it's a good initiative about the drug problem. Still, it would be a good idea to investigate the full reasons why students try illegal drugs. That's a hard thing to survey.

Well, it's not a simple question and I don't have a full picture on how things work in Japan (not even in Brazil to tell the truth).

What makes me wonder more - and I am not saying the drug problem is not serious - is that I really don't think there was a sudden boom in consumption (although I do believe in a steady increase). Instead, the media attention has turned to this topic. That might also put more pressure on the authorities that do more throughout checks, resulting in even more people busted. Anyway, it's hard to believe that all those cases being broadcasted coincidently just happened in the last months.

So what was the factor that turned the media's attention to that problem?

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Added on March 2nd:

I had to rectify myself in some point. Although I don't think there was a sudden boom in consumption of drugs, I do believe that it has been increasing over the years. A US report seems to agree with me. That leads to a second question: why comsumption is on the rise? That question is valid not only for Japan, but in many places people are turning to drugs and stimulants...