Sultan Abdul Samad Building Snow Sculpture Star Attraction At Japan Festival

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 5 (Bernama) -- Malaysia’s iconic Sultan Abdul Samad Building stands out as a commanding snow sculpture at the 65th Sapporo Snow Festival in Hokkaido, Japan. According to Tourism and Culture Minister Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, Malaysia's participation in one of Japan's largest winter events was aimed at promoting Visit Malaysia Year 2014 to the Japanese market. "We are truly pleased and honoured to be one of the main sponsors of the 2014 Sapporo Snow Festival and International Ice Sculpture Contest, along with Malaysia Airlines, our national carrier, as the co-sponsor. "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 said in a statement made available here Wednesday. Measuring at 18 metres high, 28 metres wide and 20 metres deep, the Sultan Abdul Samad Building snow sculpture stands proudly at the festival, which is expected to attract more than two million local and international visitors over the week-long event which opens Wednesday. Mohamed Nazri also thanked the Hokkaido Government for the honour and the Japan Self Defence Force for working tirelessly to produce the extraordinary snow sculpture. "This historic building which was 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," he said. Besides the ice sculpture, Tourism Malaysia also has a booth at the festival where visitors will be entertained by demonstrations in making 'teh tarik' (hand-pulled tea) and 'batik' (a cloth traditionally made using manual wax-resist dyeing technique), and cultural performances. Tourism Malaysia is also participating in the Snow Sculpture Contest showcasing a sculpture of the proboscis monkey, the official mascot of Visit Malaysia Year 2014. -- BERNAMA