Giant ice sculptures have drawn in thousands of visitors at the opening of the Sapporo Snow Festival, one of Japan's biggest tourist attractions.

The festival, which started in 1950, sees 252 pieces on display for visitors who brave the sub-freezing temperatures.

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.

Famous structures from overseas also made an appearance with China's Temple of Heaven being recreated in frozen form.

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.

Preparations for the festival began a month ago, and reportedly required trucks to bring in more than 6,000 loads of snow.

Last year saw over 2.4 million visitors attend the festival.