<p><br /> Giant ice sculptures have drawn in thousands of visitors at the opening of the Sapporo Snow Festival, one of Japan's biggest tourist attractions.<br /> </p><p><br /> The festival, which started in 1950, sees 252 pieces on display for visitors who brave the sub-freezing temperatures.<br /> </p><p><br /> The works on display range from Disney characters to a sculpture of Japanese Nippon Ham baseball player Yuki Saito, who currently enjoys a large following in the country.<br /> </p><p><br /> Famous structures from overseas also made an appearance with China's Temple of Heaven being recreated in frozen form.<br /> </p><p><br /> Sculptures of the popular Japanese comic and TV show "Sazae-san" are also featured in snow form as part of the comic's 65th anniversary celebrations.<br /> </p><p><br /> Preparations for the festival began a month ago, and reportedly required trucks to bring in more than 6,000 loads of snow.<br /> </p><p><br /> Last year saw over 2.4 million visitors attend the festival.<br /> </p>
