In pictures: Japan's Sapporo Snow Festival opens amid coronavirus fears, warm winter

The annual Sapporo Snow Festival began in the northern Japanese city of Sapporo on Tuesday, hit by fears over the coronavirus outbreak and soaring costs involved in transporting snow to the site amid a warm winter.

Organisers for this year's festival were forced to truck in an unprecedented amount of extra powder to build their signature sculptures after an unseasonably warm winter.

The festival showcases more than 200 ice and snow sculptures, expecting hundreds of thousands of visitors each day.

A giant snow sculpture representing the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, a horse race held at the Paris Longchamp Racecourse in France, is on display at the festival. Taking place in February in the capital city of Hokkaido, the snow festival is one of the largest winter celebrations in Japan.

A giant snow sculpture representing the indigenous northern Japanese peoples Ainu creation myth Ainu Rakkur, is seen during the festival. The festival is a major draw for the region, attracting more than 2.7 million visitors last year.

A worker grabs a shovel to remove fresh snow on a large snow sculpture on display. The festival originally started back in 1950, and the scale of the festival has been getting bigger and bigger every year with more displays in the larger sites.

A worker blows fresh snow off a large snow sculpture during the 71st Sapporo Snow Festival at Odori Park in Sapporo.

A couple poses for a selfie in front of a snow sculpture with a motif of the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, during the Sapporo Snow Festival in Sapporo..

A giant snow sculpture supported by Hokkaido Broadcasting representing the Palace on the Isle in Warsaw, is seen during the Sapporo Snow Festival in Sapporo.

People ride a mini steam locomotive through the "Cup Noodles and Rui Hachimura's snow tunnel" during the Sapporo Snow Festiva.

A boy walks through the snow to get closer to a large snow sculpture during the 71st Sapporo Snow Festival at Odori Park in Sapporo, Japan.

People take pictures as they ride a small train into a snow sculpture in the shape of a human mouth during the 71st Sapporo Snow Festival at Odori Park in Sapporo, Japan.

Spectators gather in front of a large snow sculpture during the Sapporo Snow Festival at Odori Park in Sapporo.

A giant snow sculpture representing a "kotankoro kamuy" (Blakiston's fish owl) watching over the National Ainu Museum, a soon to be opened centre for indigenous northern Japanese Ainu people, during the Sapporo Snow Festival.

A tourist wearing a mask walks past a snow sculpture during the 71st Sapporo Snow Festival at Odori Park in Sapporo.

A worker sweeps fresh snow from a giant snow sculpture supported by Hokkaido Television Broadcasting representing a "kotankoro kamuy" (Blakiston's fish owl) watching over the National Ainu Museum, a soon to be opened centre for indigenous northern Japanese Ainu people, during the Sapporo Snow Festival in Sapporo.

Visitors look at snow sculptures during the 71st Sapporo Snow Festival at Odori Park in Sapporo, Japan.