BalticJapan Magazine

Higashikawa ice and snow sculpture festival January 21st,22nd, 2012.

For 38 times allready, there had been an annual Higashikawa Ice and Snow sculpture festival. It`s the main winter event. Hokkaido is famouse for it`s snow and cold winters so many cities held this kind of festival. Sapporo Ice and Snow festival is the most famouse in Hokkaido and the biggest one to. It will be held in the beginning of February. In Higashikawa preperation for this festival had started one month before with gathering the snow and building big snow banks and making the snow in the right consistency for sculptures with the help of water. Then a week before many voluntairs from Town hall are involved in making ice sculptures and ice bar, other ice and snow decorations in the city. Every year ice sculpture proffesionals come to make something special. 24 hours before the opening of the festival starts the contest, about the most beautiful ice sculpture. Some artists doesn`t even sleep all night! It`s 2 days full of fun, games and attractions for kids, whitch ends with amazing fireworks, rarely seen in Japan during the winter time.

And here's the info from Embassy: 

Aicinām Jūs apmeklēt Japānas stendu tūrisma izstādē „Balttour 2012”

  19. starptautiskajā tūrisma izstādē - gadatirgū "Balttour 2012" būs apskatāms Japānas stends. 

Izstādes laikā Japānas stendā varēs nobaudīt ne tikai vairākus no Japānas atvestus japāņu rīsu vīna sake veidus, bet arī būs iespēja izzināt Japānas kultūru, izmēģinot savus spēkus kaligrāfijā šjodo un papīra locīšanas mākslā origami (visi pasākumi bez papildus maksas).  

Līdztekus minētajām aktivitātēm stendā būs aplūkojama arī foto izstāde, kas ataino pērnā gada martā lielajā zemestrīcē un cunami cietušā Tohoku reģiona neiepazīto skaistumu.  

  Norises vieta

Starptautiskais izstāžu centrs 

Ķīpsalas iela 8, Rīga

  Norises laiki

10. februāris (piektdiena) 11:00 – 20:00 

11. februāris (sestdiena) 10:00 – 18:00  

12. februāris (svētdiena) 10:00 – 17:00 

  Japānas kultūras iepazīšana 

Papīra locīšana origami 

10. februāris (piektdiena)

11:00 – 12:00, 14:00 – 15:00, 17:00 – 18:00

11. februāris (sestdiena)

  11:00 – 12:00, 14:00 – 15:00

12. februāris (svētdiena)

11:00 – 12:00, 14:00 – 15:00

Kaligrāfija šjodo

10. februāris (piektdiena)

12:00 – 13:00, 15:00 – 16:00, 18:00 – 19:00 

11. februāris (sestdiena)

12:00 – 13:00, 15:00 – 16:00    

12. februāris (svētdiena)

12:00 – 13:00, 15:00 – 16:00

  Sīkāka informācija mājas lapā

“Hashi” is based on student clubs’ model in Japan and is managed solely by students. Nevertheless, the events organized by the club are open to the general public. The location for the events is Sugihara House. We are grateful for the location and for various advice to the Vytautas Magnus University, Center of Asian Studies and especially to its director, lect. Aurelijus Zykas. Our club seeks to present Japanese culture to the public, as well as help Japanese people, visiting Kaunas, see more than usual tourists do. “Hashi” is a non-profit organisation, always open for new people and new ideas!

Is the winter coming to Baltics this year or not? Answer is still unclear. On photo Riga, 7th of Jan, +2 C, snow which just covered the ground is melting quickly

The clock presented to Riga by its Japanese sister city Kobe. It stands in the Riga city center close to Art Academy of Latvia.

Snowy mountains of Northern part of Japanese main island Honshu