Just before the opening of Hokkaido Festival !

 by Kazu

Everybody was waiting for the huge snowman brought from the backside of this globe.  The Mayor of Abira Town Mr. Shuichiro OIKAWA who were responsible for carrying the huge snowman and small ones, the Vice Chair of the Town Council Mr. Okifumi TAMURA who ran Japanese sake brewery in Abira Town, the Vice Governor of Hokkaido Mr. Yusuke Nakano and the Speaker of the Hokkaido Legislative Assembly Mr. Noritoshi MURATA and the Vice Mayor of Sapporo City Mr. Toru YOSHIOKA got ready to reveal the pall.

They took off the curtain that had covered the huge snowman brought from Hokkaido.
The first huge snowman was sent to Sao Paulo in 2008 when the 100th Anniversary of the immigration from Japan was celebrated. The chief of the post office in Hayakita Town that had been merged with Abira Town, Mr. Seiki SHINBO took the initiative. 

He spent his retirement allowance to send the snowman to Sao Paulo. I could not believe that but that was true. Unfortunately Mr. Shinbo passed away last year. I took part in his funeral service held in Abira Town.