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Blue Ridge Sailors Enjoy Otaru Port Visit, Ice Festival

2/17/2003
Story Number: NNS030217-02

By Journalist 2nd Class Hodges Nathaniel Pone III, USS Blue Ridge Public Affairs

OTARU, Japan (NNS) -- Snowboarding, skiing, fresh seafood, world-class ramen and the 54th annual Sapporo Ice Festival tantalized the senses of USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) and 7th Fleet staff Sailors during the command ship's four day port visit here Feb. 8-11.

During the visit, Sailors took part in many recreational activities and visited the famous Sapporo Beer Brewery. They also checked out the colorful city nightlife and got a glimpse of beautifully crafted ice sculptures at the city's annual ice festival.

On the day of arrival, some Sailors boarded buses headed for the festival. After arriving in downtown Sapporo, Sailors viewed ice craftsmanship at its finest. On display stood near life-size ice sculptures, such as a Japanese temple, the Japanese cartoon character "Apaman," and an eagle and anchor, as well as numerous movie characters, like "Stitch," of Disney's "Lilo and Stitch" fame.

Lithographer's Mate Seaman Vincent Bailey of New Church, Va., said he was impressed by the sculptures' beauty.

"I think they are a true work of art," Bailey said. "It looks like it took a lot of hard work to create those beautiful ice statues."

Other crew members decided to take part in activities involving snow and ice, but not by viewing the sculptures. Hitting the slopes was the plan of the day for this group, as they ventured to seek a good time skiing and snowboarding.

Information Systems Technician 3rd Class Damion McKinney, a novice snowboarder from Durham, N.C., who decided to daringly dive down the steep hills with his shipmates, said he heard of the opportunity through his friends.

With a huge smile on his face, a little snow and thankfully, no broken bones, it was obvious McKinney enjoyed the slopes.

"Snowboarding has a lot of exciting aspects, including the speed and the solitude," McKinney said. "When you're going down the slopes, it's just you and the snowboard against the cold and the wind. It's very extreme, and there's a great adrenaline rush that comes along with it."

Not everyone was into the extreme sports action, nor did they wish to see the ice sculptures. Seaman Tammy Nipp of Lubbock, Texas, said her time in Sapporo was spent trying some of the foods at the variety of exotic restaurants.

"I ate with a friend of mine at Seafood Spaghetti," Nipp said. "We also tried various types of Sushi. It was awesome. I definitely see myself trying it again."

Blue Ridge has since pulled in its lines and departed for more training at sea, where there are no exotic restaurants, and the nightlife consists of tackling qualifications, working or just relaxing. But these Sailors still have their memories of the cities and citizens of Otaru and Sapporo.