Ice sculptures at the Sapporo Snow Festival (Agustin Rafael Reyes / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Winter in Japan can be enjoyed in a myriad of ways, and not just by skiing and snowboarding – although those are popular options, too! Ice-related activities showcase the country’s natural beauty, innovation, and traditions, and this guide covers five of them worth checking out.
Attend an ice festival
One of the most popular ways to enjoy all things icy is to attend an ice festival. There are a number of them to check out, such as the Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival in Hokkaido which takes place in February. The popular Sapporo Snow Festival also has a variety of ice sculptures along with ones made from snow, and the level of detail they showcase is incredible.
The Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival in Hokkaido (Robert Thomson / CC BY-NC 2.0)
Hop aboard a drift ice cruise
Japan is home to numerous incredible landscapes, from the sand dunes of Tottori to the lush rainforests of Yakushima. When the winter months arrive in the country’s northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, there’s another unique landscape you can appreciate – drift ice on the horizon! The Sea of Okhotsk coast has a couple of places where you can take to the water on icebreaking ships and see this natural phenomenon up close – Monbetsu or Abashiri – just be sure to dress warmly.
The Aurora icebreaker ship on the waters off Abashiri, Hokkaido (Agustin Rafael C. Reyes / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Head to a rink for some ice skating
Think about your favorite Christmas movie, and more often than not there’s some kind of ice skating rink scene in it – Love Actually and Elf are just a couple of holiday classics that work them into their scripts. If you want that warm-and-fuzzy feeling for yourself, check out some of the ice skating rinks across Japan that will have you feeling the festive spirit in no time flat. One of the most popular Tokyo locations for ice skating is at the Midtown Ice Rink, which is running this year from late November right through until late February.
Tokyo Midtown Ice Rink (Tokyo Midtown Management Co., Ltd.)
Encourage your inner adventurer with an ice climb
This is quite a niche activity that’s suited to the adventurous traveler out there. Japan offers some unique ice climbing experiences in regions where winter temperatures create natural formations, but if you don’t want to rely on Mother Nature the man-made Ice Candy climb in Nagano is worth looking into. Located near the Akadake Kosen mountain hut, the Ice Candy climb provides a safe, controlled environment for learning and practicing ice climbing techniques. You can learn more about the climb via the Nagano Outdoor site.
Nagano’s Ice Candy wall presents an icy challenge for the adventure-seekers (Masa Sakano / CC BY-SA 2.0)
Try a unique ice hotel stay
If you really want to maximize your icy encounters, why not try a unique ice hotel stay? Hoshino Resorts Tomamu will be opening their Ice Hotel from January 20th to February 28th, 2025 (dates are tentative at the moment), where visitors can experience fairytale-like accommodations made entirely of ice. The venue is also set to include an Ice Terrace where guests can enjoy warming drinks like mulled wine, and an open-air ice bath with water pumped from nearby Yunosawa Onsen. More information about this once-in-a-lifetime experience can be found on the resort’s official website.
ice hotel stay (Photo courtesy of Hoshino Resorts)
Japan Travel (en.japantravel.com)
