Japanese attracted to 'frozen' Sultan Abdul Samad Building

An impressive ice sculpture of the iconic Sultan Abdul Samad Building was created as part of Malaysia's participation in the 65th Sapporo Snow Festival in Hokkaido. It also part of the country's effort to promote Visit Malaysia Year 2014 to the Japanese market.

On hand to accept the work of art from the Hokkaido government was the Minister of Tourism and Culture, Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, who thanked the Hokkaido Government for the honour and the Japan Self Defence Force for working tirelessly to produce the extraordinary ice sculpture.

“This historic building built in 1857, serves as Malaysia’s tourism and heritage showcase to the world. We will continue to conserve it as one of the country’s most prominent heritage buildings,” Nazri said at the handing over ceremony.

Measuring 18 meters high, 28 meters wide and 20 meters deep, the Sultan Abdul Samad Building ice sculpture stands as a commanding structure at the festival which is expected to attract more than 2 million local and international visitors over the week-long event which opens today.

The Sapporo Snow Festival has been organised since 1950, and is supported by the City of Sapporo, Sapporo Tourist Association, Sapporo Board of Education and Sapporo Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“Through our participation, we hope to highlight Malaysia’s unique tourism offerings and position the country as a must-visit holiday destination for Japanese tourists,” he added.

Besides the ice sculpture, Tourism Malaysia also has a booth at the festival where teh tarik and batik making demonstrators as well as cultural performances will entertain visitors.