Just around half an hour to 40 minutes by local train from Sapporo, Otaru Snow Light Path has been a popular winter festivals not only because of the proximity, but the total package of lovely historic buildings, the canal, fresh seafood, fish market, interesting shops and cafes.
Every year, the local community and some foreign students put together a Snow Light Path event, bringing warmth and fun to the visitors as well as the community during the cold winter.
The main event is held at the canal and the Former Temiya Railway Line. Hundreds of Snow Lights are lite up at 5pm till 9pm between February 3 and 12, 2017, three days earlier than the Sapporo Winter Festival. In fact, there are candles and snowmen on sidewalks and shop front around town, creating a consistent theme throughout Otaru.
Instead of going to the canal which has been very crowded even during the day, I went to the Former Temiya Railyway Line at 5pm. It’s a heritage site and the festival venue stretches over 3 blocks. 小樽的運河白天都太多遊客，所以今年我改了「雪燈之路」攻略，下午5時就先去舊手宮線雪燈之路。舊手宮線是日本歷史遺產之一，全場有3段路。There are many snow candle lights along the Former Temiya Railway Line. All made by the local communities and foreign students, putting together a fun and warm winter for visitors. This is done by a Korean group. 整條舊手宮線兩旁堆砌了許多雪雕和蠟燭，全部都是當地居民和外國留學生義務參與製作的，在寒冷的冬日為居民及遊客帶來溫暖。這一組是韓國學生的作品。I call these lotuses. 我覺得這個造型很像蓮花。每年都有。The lovely owls. They bring luck! 可愛的貓頭鷹，是福到的意思。The key of this set is the heart snow light in the middle. 這一組的重點是中間的心心雪燈。 Star light. Star bright. 星閃閃。Wood block print look of an old train. Nice! 這個是模仿木板印刷畫，舊火車為主題，十分貼切舊手宮線主題。This one looks like an antique stint glass. 這個像古老歐洲玻璃窗花。Photo spot 1: holding a candle bowl and take photo in this heart shape frame. 影相位 1： 捧著蠟燭在心心雪燈架內拍照。These candle holders are made by wax, decorating with flowers and leaves. There is a shop selling these if you are interested to buy some home. 這些蠟燭座是用蠟做的，有花和葉做裝飾。會場有一家小店出售，有興趣可以買個回家。These candle holders are for sale too. 這些蠟燭座也是出售的。Photo spot 2: holding a candle in a giant snow cup. 影相位 2: 捧著蠟燭在巨型雪杯拍照。The atmosphere in the Snow Path is fun. There is a snow slider and some food booths. It’s great for families. 雪燈之路的氣氛相當好，除了不停手拍照，還有一條雪滑梯玩，又有小吃。After walking around Teyima Railway Line snow light path, I went to the canal. It is getting a little late so the main crowd has gone. It’s still lovely with the floating glass lamps on the canal but there are fewer snow sculptures as compared to previous years. It’s probably due to the heavy traffic, leaving more space for walking instead of building snow sculptures. 玩完舊手宮線後，我才走到小樽運河，人流已經散了不少，運河上的浮玻璃燈仍然漂亮。但雪雕比以前少了，沒有舊手宮線那麼精彩。
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