This time we were a bit more prepared for the cold weather by using heat pads that you can stick under your socks. Not that they really helped. They become warm when your feet are warm but stay cold when your feet are cold. How is that supposed to help?
We went by the Odori again but this time in daylight. Better light but it looks more impressive by night. From there we walked to the Susukino area for the ice sculptures. Most were really big and with much detail but others looked 'easy' to make. They were however located in the center section of a road so cars were going past them continuously and we couldn't get close to take good pictures. It looked closed too since the Ice bar wasn't serving anything.
There were some temples nearby (Chuoji and Shineji) that looked really nice in the snow. One even had a construction surrounding it that looked to prevent that the huge amounts of snow on the roof would fall on a nearby building.
At a mall nearby we decided that new winter boots were in order. They sure helped a lot. We also took a much nicer route back to the Odori: the underground malls. Warm, no slippery snow, nice shops and not crowded at all. From there we went to the Sapporo Factory. It used to be a beer factory but is now turned into a shopping mall with bridges connecting the various buildings but still preserving some of the old atmosphere. We ate at Tonyoshi, with delicious cheese tonkatsu, according to Michelle. Unfortunately they only have restaurants in Sapporo, not in Tokyo.
Back again via the mall to see the ice sculptures by night. This time they closed off the surrounding streets so we could get closer. The illumination itself did not really add something, but the neon lights of the surrounding shops added well to the scene. Still nice, but we went through them quickly. It was much more lively in the evening though since the Susukino district harbours all kinds of 'entertainment'. Here again some advertisements of beer and a power tool seller that showcased them by letting someone do a live demonstration of creating an ice sculpture.
On our way towards the hotel we met some other Dutch people. We chatted until the lights had gone out and everyone was too cold to continue.