Fantastic place to visit. It’s very cold with the strong wind. Amazing igloo houses. The day i visited was -8 Celsius. The thickness of the ice is 90 cm.deep.
As I visited with a very unlucky friend, the day we arrived was an abnormally warm day (above 0), so only the ice bar was open. One of the igloos melted and collapsed. However, it’s still a really beautiful lake, the highest in Hokkaido. I will definitely revisit this place again.
Enjoy the frost of Lake Shikaribetsu - the famous ice village in Hokkaido
Coming to the ice village on Lake Shikaribetsu, visitors will have the opportunity to admire and stay in ice "hotels". Have fun and relax in theaters and giant ice skating rinks. Surely with these different things will give you great experiences during your trip to Hokkaido.
Lake Shikaribetsu is about 14km in circumference and is located in the Daisetsuzan National Park area, in Tokachi District, Eastern Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. Nestled deep in the Daisetsuzan Mountains, Lake Shikaribetsu has the highest elevation in the area (more than 800m); is one of the lakes with the clearest water surface in Japan's rivers and lakes; and is the lake with the longest freezing time in Japan.
Lake Shikaribetsu is located quite far from the main center of Hokkaido Prefecture. From Sapporo City's Chitose Airport, it takes about 2.5 hours to travel to Shikaribetsu (about 169 km).
What to do at Lake Shikaribetsu . Ice Village
1. Stroll to see the ice village
2.Visit the Ice Chapel and enjoy a drink at the Ice Bar.
3.Overnight in ice house, igloo
4.Sleigh ride
5. Take a hot outdoor shower and soak your feet in ice!
Not too bad but in mid March the igloos were melting already as the event also coming to a close soon. Worth the drive for my family and we also made a ice mug for drink.
An interesting place to stop by if you’re driving and want to take a walk and rest from the road. The entrance ticket was paid. If you want to buy a drink, it’s better to have cash with you. I tried to pay by card, but the payment system didn’t load, so I had to pay in cash.
In the photo, you can see a seaberry soda. There is a free foot bath available to everyone, and there are also onsens for men and women. Be sure to bring a towel with you, or you can buy one there. There are also a few igloos standing around.
It might be even more beautiful in the evening when the lanterns light up, but it was interesting during the day as well. Overall, it’s a nice place to stop by along the way and add some variety to your trip.
More about Shikaribetsu Lake Kotan, Shikaoi from our blog
