So, I just got back from my trip to Hokkaido and the Yuki Matsuri(snow festival) and it was awesome! It was the coolest thing I`ve done in Japan so far. We left on Saturday for Sapporo and spent most of Saturday looking at the amazing ice and snow sculptures. I also took photos while my friend Joe video-taped it and narrated like a big dork. Then on the second day we went to another snow festival site called Sato Land where they had a snow maze, a giant snow slide and more snow sculptures. The maze was cool. It was made entirely out of snow and had chocolate advertisements sealed into the snow (only in Japan). So we went through the maze and then waited in line for an hour to go down the slide. It was freezing, but the slide was really awesome, so I think it was worth it. Then we went out for some all-you-can-eat crab at a wonderful restaurant. The crabs in Hokkaido are huge, really sweet and delicious. I ate the best crab I`ve ever eaten, it was so good. Then on Monday we went to Otaru(a nearby town) because they have an aquarium there where you can walk with penguins. So we got to walk next to these penguins and I got closer to penguins then I`ve ever been in my life. It was exciting, they were super cute. The fish there were interesting too, cause a lot of the species were really different from what I`ve seen in American aquariums. Then we went to a famous chocolate factory in Sapporo. Hokkaido is famous for their chocolate. The factory was closed by the time we got there because Joe got us lost, but we were still able to check the place out, take some good pictures and buy some delicious chocolate. Then we met up with some friends of mine who happened to be in Sapporo at the same time and went to the Sapporo beer garden where we had all-you-can-eat Ghengis Khan style lamb and all-you-can-drink beer. It was really delicous and fun. Sapporo beer is really good. Then Joe and I stumbled home, watched some olympics and passed out. Then on Tuesday, we just walked around, bought some omiyage(souveneirs) and ate some of Hokkaido`s famous delicious ramen. I also bought Joe some Valentine`s Day chocolate, because he was sad that he wasn`t going to get any. In Japan, women give chocolate to men on 2/14, not just to boyfriends or husbands, but to their bosses and friends too. Then on 3/14, they have something called White Day, where men give the women who gave them chocolate something white as a gift in return. It can be anything from a white scarf to a white gold necklace. That`s just the way they do it. All in all, it was a really fun time. The snow festival was amazing, the food was delicious, I got to walk with penguins and Joe`s hilarious so we had a great time together. I`ll try to post some pictures on here tonight and I`ll post more on my other page tomorrow. Love you all, Happy Valentine`s Day!