The Monterey Volkmann Project: Super Bowl Monday

For the record, when I booked our trip to Sapporo, I never in my wildest dreams thought the Green Bay Packers to be in the Super Bowl. (Bad Packers fan, I know.) I watched the conference game on the edge of my seat. I wanted the Packers to win, but I also wanted to watch the game and I wasn't completely sure if the game would be playing in northern Japan. In the end, I packed my Packers scarf, and told myself that playing in the snow would be the perfect way to celebrate the Packer's Super Bowl game.

On Monday morning, we dressed in layers with snowpants and wool socks. It was the official kickoff to the Sapporo Snow Festival and we wanted to be prepared for the outdoor elements-- no snow flurries or football would keep us inside. The Super Bowl started at 8:30 a.m. local time and it was televised in Japan. Our tour bus left at 9 a.m. I didn't see one bit of the game.

After a one-hour bus ride and many game highlights/updates from my friend's iPhone, we explored Tsu-Dome. Tsu-Dome is one of the festival's sites and a bit of winter wonderland playground with several different sized slides that look more like luges than sledding hills. You can build a snowman or wait in line for more than 30 minutes to go sledding. We didn't wait in line. We will sled in Maryland without any line time. We paid 500 yen (approximately $6) and went snow rafting as a group.

Snow rafting: being pulled by a snowmobile while in a raft. Blue dork helmet required.

Olivia didn't complain, but she wasn't thrilled. Next, she went down a toddler snow slide about five times. On the sixth time, she started crying, so we went inside the dome to warm up. After a snack and drink, Olivia was checking out the indoor train. She had to ride on it.

While we were cozy inside the dome, a winter storm blew in, so we jumped on the bus to ride back to the snow sculptures. By that point, I knew the Packers won the game so I celebrated with a nap. It was a wonderful nap.