The Taj Mahal built in snow? Aizuwakamatsu Castle? Taiwan's National Palace Museum in ice? Meh! (Okay, all these are pretty cool, but stick with me.) The Sapporo Snow Festival isn't only frozen famous landmarks, it also showcases some of the geekiest snow sculptures on Earth.
When statues aren't falling on visitors—a rare occurrence—the Sapporo Snow Festival plays host to two million versions as snow sculptures overtake city center for the seven-day festival.
NicoNico News, the news arm of Japanese video service NicoNico Douga, descended on the festival and collected photos of the nerdier sculptures that range from video game to kiddy TV show characters. Yes, even Japanese internet jokes, like the Arigato Usagi meme from the AC commercials, made their way into this year's displays.
The Sapporo Snow Festival was first held in 1950, and the 2012 festival wraps up on Feb. 12.
Check out more snow sculptures and ice art on NicoNico News.
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(Top photo: NicoNico News)