Snow Miku (event)
SNOW Miku is a series of events held annually in Hokkaido that was started as a part of the Sapporo Snow Festival. "SNOW Miku" started as a snow sculpture of a character based on Hatsune Miku that was created for the 61st Sapporo Snow Festival in 2010.
As Crypton Future Media, the company which planned and developed "Hatsune Miku", is located in Sapporo, Hokkaido, "SNOW MIKU" festival has been held in Hokkaido every winter since 2010. The main events of the festival are timed to coincide with the period of "Sapporo Snow Festival".
Designs
Each year, different designs for "Snow Miku" are created, with recent designs being created from Piapro's Snow Miku Costume Contest. Winners of the contest have their illustration as the basis for the following year's Snow Miku.
Themes for the costume also vary, from a princess to a magical girl, to snowboarding Miku. Each theme is related to Hokkaido in some way and is used as the basis for each year's contest's rules.
Event
Spanning throughout Sapporo's Snow Festival, the Snow Miku event features merchandise, exhibitions, and live concerts.
Merchandise is not limited to one area and fans will need to travel across the city to purchase everything. Items on sale include glowsticks, T-shirts, and amulets. Purchases are strictly limited to 5 items per purchase. The event is also in collaboration with the Family Mart convenience store chain. Within Family Mart, fans can purchase special Hatsune Miku foods and beverages and also buy plush toys, figurines, badges, and other items.
Live concerts are usually held across two days with morning and evening sessions. Tickets are obtained by a lottery system and those lucky enough to win receive a ticket with a serial number. At the venue, concert-specific merchandise such as glowsticks and T-shirts are available for purchase and the concerts usually last 2 hours. Photography and video recording is strictly forbidden when inside the venue, irrespective of whether or not the concert has commenced.
A main attraction of the Snow Miku event is the Miku ice sculpture. Since 2010, Miku has been immortalized as an ice sculpture for the duration of the event. Earlier sculptures were vandalized which caused event staff to hire security in subsequent years, though recently Snow Miku events have generally been held without problems.
Starting in December of the previous year, and lasting until late March, a special streetcar is covered in Snow Miku decorations. Because only one streetcar has the decorations, its timetable is made public so that fans will be able to travel in it. The design differs per year based on the costume that Snow Miku wears.
An exhibition hall at Sapporo Factory showcases the latest in Snow Miku. Many booths also sell goods related to snow, such as visors, snowboards, and sunglasses. Other booths have technology-based stalls which may include virtual reality headsets or 3D holographic crystals. In earlier years, Visa and Mastercard teamed up with Crypton Future Media to allow fans to have their very own credit card with a Hatsune Miku picture on its front.
At MIRAI.ST cafe & kitchen, fans will be able to buy Hatsune Miku-themed food and drinks including latte art. Department stores will be plastered with Snow Miku illustrations and in some cases, theme park attractions will have Snow Miku-themed rides such as Ferris wheels.
Arcades around the city also stock Snow Miku figurines and plush toys in their UFO Crane machines.
New Chitose Airport
The SNOW MIKU Sky Town store located in New Chitose Airport features Hatsune Miku goods and products every day but during the Snow Miku event, there are limited-edition goods available as well as a small exhibition around the store which details Miku and Snow Miku's history. The exhibition is free to attend and features artwork by her many creators in addition to a life-sized statue of Snow Miku.
Fan Meetings
Because the event is held in Sapporo, Miku's hometown, there will usually be plenty of fan meetings. Some will be officially sanctioned while most will be unofficial. Fans from all over the world are encouraged to meet with others who share their love of Miku and locals within the meetings act as tour guides for travelers.
Meetings are usually organized through social media services such as Twipla.
Merch
Snow Miku Snow Princess Version 1.7 Scale Figure
DBC x Hatsune Miku Snow Miku Key Case
Snow Mike Toothbrush Set Collection
Snow Miku Hand Towel Collection
DBC x Hatsune Miku Snow Miku Car Seat Tissue Case
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