the kamakura festival runs through march 6th. >>> so if you're planning to visit japan by then, do check out the snow huts at ññ genie: this is "france 24." time for 60 minutes live around the world. i'm genie godula. these are the headlines. all eyes on iowa as the state gets set to choose its favorites among the u.s. presidential candidates. live coverage in just a minute. a historic parliamentary session begins in burma, set to install the first democratically elected government in more than 50 years.

what exactly is a kamakura? it's this big white dome that looks like an igloo. it is a snow hut and it has a long history to it. it dates back about four centuries ago. >> these children were greeting us and walking inside. there is a lot of history with it because of the drought situation that took place here. the locals believe that if they were able to build them and appeal to the water deity, it would lead them to have a better harvest and fortunes for the upcoming year. they are about 100 of these all-around the city in preparation for the festival. it actually is made out of 20 to 30 metric tons of snow and three meters high. the children love it because they get to stay up late at night. parents let them stay up to enjoy the festival. they just welcomed us inside to see what's going on. let's go in and see what's happening. as you come inside when you are visiting, you want to make sure that you give your greetings and also make sure that you give your well wishes for the upcoming year. i noticed that they are holding something. [speaking foreign language