Held from February 6 to 11, the opening of 2016 Asahikawa Winter Festival is an excellent event with remarkable fireworks and laser shows that last around 20 minutes in the opening and finale. On February 6, I travelled over 5 hours from Hakodate to Asahikawa on train. The train was on time and it was sunny when I arrived. That was a good start. Asahikawa can get very cold and windy but it was not. Not on that day. I was lucky. The park was beautiful in the winter with picturesque snow scenery just like the last time I visited. Just follow the sign and the snowmen along the path will lead you to the snow festival. You may also take a shuttle bus from the JR station but it goes every 20 minutes and there may be a long line. The gigantic stage was a pair of snow bears, the mascots. It was much more crowded than the last time I visited but not nearly as crowded as other winter festivals which are more popular among tourists. It was still easy to…