February 14 2010: I know, what a shock! We did it, we got out of the house! Wonders never cease! A beautiful day to get out and go exploring. I'd heard here and there a little about the winter festibal. So with a full weekend off, Shane had a day to get fully rested, then off to adventure!
Of course, nothing is ever where I expect it to be. Being called the Lake Towada winter festibal, I thought for sure it would be near Towada City. Forgetting the obvious that the lake and the city are actually about 30 miles apart from one another....silly me. So past Towada-Shi out to Oriase Gorge (of which there are extensive summer and fall pics already on this blog), up the Gorge and around to the South side of the Lake, to a little town/village called Yasumiya.
Well, ok, first a couple of "in the car, take it fast" pictures of the gorge.
Weren't those spectacular! Really wasn't a lot of room to pull of and take pictures. The road is narrow in dry conditions, really narrow with snow on both shoulders that come up to the trucks side mirrors.
In order to get to the south side of the lake, there are of course mountains....so through the tunnel. A pretty long tunnel actually...Andi thought it must be as long as the HRBT in Norfolk. Quiet possible I said, but this is through a mountain and not under water.....her eyes got really BIG. I guess water is one thing, but a MOUNTAIN! Who would've thought? Obviously she spent some very formative years surrounded by watery tunnels.
Into the village of Yasumiya.
The festibal was really easy to find. This town has like a whole section set aside for their entertainment area. Truckloads of snow brought in. Ice sculptures and igloos. And of course a food tent! We came during the day. But if we had stayed til night fall, would've see the sculptures lit up, as well as the igloos. We opted for the daylight hours, as we just aren't much for the night life rowdiness. But daylight was just as good.
The main performing stage. Packed snow, sprayed over with water, and of course carved. The signs on the stage are warning people to stay off the carvings.
A unicorn in process of being sculpted. This was Andi's favorite. "Mom, why don't WE ever do stuff like this????" Has she seen my snowmen? What could possibly make her think I could ever do something like this?
Inside one of the igloos. This one had a very high ceiling. Probably about 10 degrees warmer in there than outside, and no wind.
Some of the doorways were a little low. Well, ok, all of them Shane had to duck. The tallest doorway, he only had to duck about an inch....this wasn't it.
Inside another igloo.
Lots of ducking for this one! But as you can see below, was just about right for Andi.
Ok, this one was a tad short on the inside! Even I was hunched over a bit.
This was the shortest doorway. Andi had to do a scrunch along. But the inside had about 15 foot high ceiling. I think it was the warmest of all of them.
Above: Andi bellies up to the igloo bar. The glass on the counter, next to the red thing, is made of ice.
Sculpture inside the bar.
A nice sized snow blower for making those huge piles to carve fun things out of. Also for clearing the parking lot. At the end of the parking lot was a pile that the kids would just climb on. Andi had a great time on that. It was probably about 4 feet shy of being as tall as the light post it was burying. Andi on top of the pile (below).
Around town were various carvings as well. Two of my favorites.
Andi and Shane demonstrating an ice glass. We didn't take it home with us....where would we keep it?
Next we went for a little walk about town. There is supposed to be a statue somewhere there in bronze of two maidens. We followed the signs....which I think are just suggestions, not really the definite way to go....but that's ok, there's always fun being the accidental tourist. So, a Tori gate, which means a shrine somewhere down the path.
Dogs guarding the gate.
The temple. Beautiful wood carvings. Such detail. We really wish we knew how old these places are. Such love and care go into the making and upkeep.
Detail above the doorway.
It is common for prayers to be written and hung. These were done on wood plaques. Just seeing them seems to bring a sense of serenity. I can't read a word on them, but the whispers of prayers can be understood no matter the language or religion.
Next we walked down by the lake. Pretty sure we're not allowed to take home those fishing balls. To bad. There were some colors I had never seen before. Various shades of blue and green, but also a few reds.
Icicles on a tree on the shore line.
Well, ok, I won't pick the flowers....Can't wait to go back in growing season to see what is blooming there.
The cold waters of Lake Towada.Just some info about the crater....Andi was pretty impressed to be within a crater...a little worried as well.
A pair of swans out in the water. I guess they like the cold weather. We saw another set on our drive back on the other side of the lake.
A little rock island a few yards from shore. On it, a little shrine.
It was a wonderful day! Love it when we get to get out, eat good food, explore, and appreciate all that is around us. This is on the list of places to bring family and friends when they come to visit. Of course, there is still the matter of finding the statue....never did find it.
