Shikaribetsu-ko Kotan (Lake Shikaribetsu Ice Village)

What to expect

Every winter, when Lake Shikaribetsu freezes solid, the town of Shikaoi and a local organising committee build a small village on the ice. They call it Kotan, the Ainu word for village. Igloos of snow and ice rise on the lake surface: an ice bar where drinks are served in glasses carved from ice, an ice workshop, a geopark igloo with exhibits on the cold, a candle-lit ceremony igloo from mid-February, and an ice lodge you can sleep in. The 2027 edition is scheduled to run from January 28 to March 14, 2027.

The hot spring part is the ice open-air bath (hyojo rotenburo). Water from a source on the lakeshore is piped straight into a tub set into the ice, with a foot bath next to it. The organisers describe it as natural, free-flowing hot spring water. Visit Hokkaido lists it as brownish sodium chloride water. Everything around you is snow, ice and the forested slopes of Daisetsuzan National Park, and on the coldest mornings steam pours off the tub into air far below freezing.

It is not a large bath. The organisers say about 10 people fit at once, and staff may hold a queue at busy times. Lake Shikaribetsu sits at about 810 m (2,660 ft), so nights are very cold.

The ice open-air bath

• Water: piped direct from a lakeside source, free-flowing. The organisers do not publish a soaking temperature, or whether the water is heated.
• Size: about 10 bathers at a time.
• Changing: in a snow igloo with clothes shelves. Staff sit at the entrance. There are no lockers.
• Foot bath: open to everyone all day.
• Maintenance: the bath is closed every Thursday morning.

Prices and booking

Since 2022 every visitor of elementary school age and over buys a season pass at the reception, which the organisers treat as a sponsorship contribution. For 2027 it is ¥600. One part of the site still mentions an older ¥500 figure, so take some extra cash. Shikaoi residents get in free. Show the pass at the bath igloo.

Towels are not included. The organisers sell an original Kotan towel for ¥1,500. Hotel Fusui, on the lakeshore, sells face towels for ¥100 and rents bath towels for ¥200.

Activities such as snowmobiling, snow rafting and ice glass making, and stays in the ice lodge, are run through the Lake Shikaribetsu Nature Center (0156-69-8181, 9:00 to 16:30). Booking for 2027 activities is announced on the Kotan news page.

Hours

For 2027 the organisers publish:

Period	Village	Ice bar	Ice bath
Jan 28 to Feb 28	9:00-20:00	10:30-19:20	9:00-19:50
Mar 1 to Mar 14	9:00-18:00	10:30-17:20	9:00-17:50

In January and February the bath has a men-only slot from 17:00 to 18:20 and a women-only slot from 18:30 to 19:50 (last entry 19:30). The rest of the day it is mixed. There are no single-sex slots from March 1.

Bath rules and etiquette

This is a mixed bath (konyoku) outside those evening slots, but it is relaxed about cover. The organisers allow swimsuits or a bath towel wrapped around you in the water. They warn that minerals in the water can stain fabric, so use an old swimsuit or towel. That makes it one of the easier mixed baths for first-timers and for families, and the foot bath next to the tub suits small children who do not want to strip off in the cold.

Rinse before you get in where you can, keep voices down, and do not linger at the igloo entrance with the door open. The organisers ban drone flights over the event area without permission. They publish no tattoo rule. If that matters to you, call the Nature Center first.

Getting there

The venue is on the lakeshore hot spring area at Kitauribaku, Shikaoi. You can walk onto the ice from the hotels and the Nature Center.

• By car: head for Shikaoi and follow Hokkaido Route 85 north. The organisers give about 1 hour 30 minutes (60 km) from Obihiro Station, about 2 hours 30 minutes (90 km) from Tokachi-Obihiro Airport, about 3 hours 30 minutes (180 km) from New Chitose Airport and about 4 hours 30 minutes (230 km) from Sapporo, using toll roads. Visit Hokkaido gives about 60 minutes from Tokachi-Shimizu IC on the Doto Expressway. Parking is free (about 100 spaces).
• Winter road closure: the road over the pass from Nukabira to Lake Shikaribetsu is closed in winter, so you cannot combine the two by the short route. If you are coming from Nukabira Onsen, go back round via Kamishihoro and Shikaoi.
• By bus: Hokkaido Takushoku buses run from JR Obihiro Station (about 100 minutes) and from Shintoku. There are only a few a day, so check the timetable before you rely on them.

Use winter tyres. Route 85 climbs into the mountains and is snow-covered for the whole season.

When to go

The village depends on the lake freezing. It usually opens in late January and closes in mid-March, and some igloos open in stages (the ceremony igloo from mid-February). Early to mid February is when everything is up and the ice is thickest. Evenings are colder but quieter, and the single-sex bath slots fall then. Weather can force the organisers to limit entry, so check the official site or social media on the day.

Where to stay nearby

The lakeside hotels, including Hotel Fusui, are a short walk from the ice; ask them about their own baths and rates. For something different, the ice lodge in the Kotan itself takes overnight guests by application through the Nature Center. Shikaoi town, on the way up from the plain, and Obihiro, about 60 km (37 miles) away, have more choice.

Accommodation tax: since April 1, 2026, Hokkaido charges its own accommodation tax: ¥100 per person per night for room rates under ¥20,000, ¥200 from ¥20,000 to under ¥50,000, and ¥500 from ¥50,000. Hotels add it to the bill.

Safety notes

• Extreme cold: Visit Hokkaido notes days when the air drops below minus 86°F30°C (minus 22°F−6°C). Change fast, keep a dry towel and warm layers within reach, and dry your hair before you walk back.
• Getting out: the shock comes when you leave the water. Step out, dry and dress in one go, and go somewhere warm.
• Ice and snow underfoot: paths on the lake are packed snow. Wear boots with grip between the changing igloo and the shore.
• Lake ice: stay inside the event area. The organisers manage the ice where the village stands, not the rest of the lake.
• Driving: Route 85 is a mountain road in deep winter. Allow extra time and avoid driving after dark if you are not used to snow.