Hokkaido Official Tourism Site HOKKAIDO LOVE!

Experience the Open-Air Hot Spring on Ice, a seasonal marvel that appears only on the frozen surface of Lake Shikaribetsu during the harshest winter months. 

Overlooking frost-covered forests and the vast frozen lake, this rare hot spring lets you feel the very breath of nature in a one-of-a-kind setting. Located at an altitude of 810 meters—the highest in Daisetsuzan National Park—Lake Shikaribetsu becomes the stage for Lake Shikaribetsu Kotan, a fleeting village built entirely from snow and ice atop the lake’s frozen surface. Its highlight is an open-air bath set directly on the ice. Crisp winter air, the occasional ethereal creak of shifting ice, and a silent, pure white landscape surround you. Wrapped in rising steam from the warm waters, the experience feels truly mystical.

The bath is filled with brownish sodium chloride thermal waters, piped directly from a lakeside source. On days when temperatures fall below −30°C, the contrast between the steaming water and the icy air can exceed 60°C. This striking difference between the freezing wind on your face and the warmth spreading through your body heightens the senses. A changing room and foot bath are also available, allowing you to warm yourself to the core while gazing across the breathtaking silvery landscape to the horizon.