[Hokkaido, Lake Shikotsu] Outing [Winter] Let's go see the ice art! Shichijo Otaki Ice Palace Snow Trekking Tour

A gigantic icicle will swallow you! Let's explore the artistic Shichijo Falls created by ice in Hokkaido in winter♪ The ice art is truly impressive♪ The icicles will cover the waterfall day by day. We are the only shop on-site, so we put safety and security first. The Hyoto Festival (one of the three major winter festivals in Hokkaido) will be held from mid-January to mid-February and will color Lake Shikotsu♪ You will be missing out if you don't come~ *Tour time schedule* ① Meet at the shop in the Lake Shikotsu shopping district. Fill out the consent form and make the payment. ② When you are ready, get in your own car or the shop's car if you are not, and head to the parking lot in front of the entrance to the waterfall. ③ If you are driving, leave your car in the parking lot and get in the shop's car. Drive to the entrance of the waterfall and proceed along the forest road ④ Put crampons (spikes) on your boots and go down to the bottom of the waterfall. On the way down, you will see the ice palace. When you get to the bottom, you can enjoy the magnificent view of nature along with the fine spray of the waterfall. Take a break and have tea together (if it is crowded below the waterfall, you may have tea in the space above). ⑤ Slowly return the way you came, and if you are using our car, you can disband at the shop. (If you are using a private car, you can also disband on-site.) ★Limited to Lake Shikotsu area businesses★ "Mizu no Uta" day trip hot spring bath ticket (15:00-19:00: 1,500 yen/person) If you would like to take a bath, please ask a staff member. We will give you a ticket. *This is a bathing facility right next to our shop.

Let's go see the mystery of nature: ice art! Late December. This is the season when Hokkaido turns into a world of pure white snow. At Shichijo Otaki, which is located close to Lake Shikotsu National Park, the famous 16-meter waterfall transforms into a spectacular winter view. From the headwaters of the Yufutsu River, which also serves as daily water for the neighborhood, it becomes a clear stream and flows down to Shichijo Otaki. The area surrounding this waterfall is semi-circular, and water drips from cracks in the rocks, freezing with the cold winter nights and turning into a gigantic icefall. When it's cold, more than 30 centimeters of ice can grow overnight, and the spectacular sight attracts many people.

◯You can bathe at Marukoma Onsen, a long-established 100-year-old hot spring, for a half-price ticket of 600 yen. For day-trip bathing, please enter the facility by 2:00 p.m. Please ask the staff so we can give you a ticket. (Please note that you will not be able to enter the facility after 2:00 pm.) (Please check with Marukoma Onsen directly as there are regular holidays) *There is also a facility called Kyukamura within walking distance.