The snow festival consists of a number of different sites. The main street called Ododri displays most of the largest snow sculpture exhibits but a walk of about 10 minutes away from the main street is where the ice crystal sculptures can be found.
Thes sculptures differ from the main street because they are carved from ice and not snow. The carvers start with a block of ice weighing one hundred and twenty five kilos. A total of 1500 blocks weighing approximately 200 tons is used for the entire susukino site. The sculptures are only carved two days before the opening because they are very sensitive to the light and sun. There are about 50 carvers involved. They start by using chain saws for the rough figures. Then they use chisels and other fine tools for the fine features. They have to be very careful because if they make a mistake, it cannot be repaired.
The best time to take photos of these sculptures is at night. It is at this time that the lights pick up on fine definition.
