Edamame anyone? Greenpeace at the Sapporo Snow Festival
Above is a funky video shot by Michael Nagasaka at the Sapporo Snow Festival in Japan last weekend. Check it out!
And here's a report from Sachiyo, campaigner at Greenpeace Japan, who spent all last week standing outside in the chilly Sapporo air, talking to everyone who stopped for a look at the Greenpeace ice sculpture:
Hello - I'm just back from talking with the Japanese public about our Oceans campaign at the Susukino Ice Festival, which is part of the Sapporo Snow Festival, a famous winter-time event in Japan.
Last year, at the Susukino Ice Festival alone, 1.2 million people attended – both from Japan and around the world. As we recently opened our new Greenpeace Communications Center in Aomori, where is pretty close to Sapporo, we decided to travel there and talk to people about environmental issues and about Greenpeace’s work in Japan.
To highlight our Ocean Conservation message, we designed a beautiful ice sculpture, which featured a humpback whale, a dolphin, a dugong, a sea turtle, and two tuna, swimming around the blue-lighted globe. The sculpture spanned 4 meters-wide, 1.5 meters-deep, and 2 meters-high. It was an exciting experience to see a two-dimensional drawing developing into a three-dimensional ice sculpture that could be appreciated by the public.
Once the ice was carved, by sculptors Yasuhiro Sone and Koji Murakami, things got even better - our Ice sculpture was at the best location at the venue. This was confirmed by the crowds that were really into our sculpture and were taking lots and lots of pictures (Japanese people can’t help taking lots pictures – it’s in our nature!). We were even told that our sculpture was the most popular one by one of the festival staff.
The way the sculpture was created, people could sit on an ice-seat in front of it to have their picture taken. People loved our sculpture – as ours was the only one that featured a separate fish that you could hold in your arms while having your picture taken. It was a “happy pain” to end each day – there was an ever lasting queue for photo opportunities.
Here are some examples of conversations with the the people we met, many of whom were cheering on our marine reserve work.
A Japanese family – the father expressed his concern that fish might not be reasonably available to eat in the future, and sighed “regretfully”. He asked me "Greenpeace’s stance is not to eat whale meat, isn't it?" He was surprised that Japan was the only country still whaling in the Southern Ocean. I explained Greenpeace’s Marine Reserve work, which he was very interested in.
A young Japanese couple with children - young mother liked our concept of the design, and told us it is beautiful (kirei in Japanese).
A 97 year-old Japanese man: When discussing marine resources, he said he was aware that nowadays, it had become extremely difficult to catch herring off the coast of Hokkaido.
Four exchange students from India who are studing at universities in Hokkaido said it was a “beautiful ice sculpture". They took pictures of each other with different poses.
Two couples from Australia: "I did not expect you guys to be here! Awesome work! Protect whales!"
A couple from America: The man thought that Greenpeace “attacks Japanese whaling fleets” – I explained that no, we are a non-violent organisation. The woman’s vision of oceans of the future was that of a “clean ocean”.
Two high school girls: They were completely shocked to find out that 1000 whales are hunted every year under the name of research. They had hard of Japan’s Research Whaling, and thought it would have been 10 to 30 at the most.
Best of all though was the person who was asked "Do you know Greenpeace?"; they answered "Oh, yes, the one to eat. I like Edamame better"
- Sachiyo
Photos: © Greenpeace/ Ken Shimizu
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Comments
nice act to make our society informed and aware
Posted by: Mahardhiyanto | February 12, 2009 2:47 AM