The Sounkyo Ice Waterfall Festival is held each winter within the stunning Sounkyo Gorge, where sub-zero temperatures freeze the area's famous waterfalls into towering pillars of ice. Coloured lights illuminate the frozen cascades and hand-carved ice sculptures at night, creating a surreal neon-tinged wonderland inside the gorge. Visitors can enjoy outdoor fire pits, local sake, and warm food stalls while surrounded by sheer rock walls draped in ice. Fireworks launched into the narrow gorge on select evenings create a breathtaking spectacle amplified by the canyon walls.
- Type
- Festival
- Category
- Snow/Winter
- Season
- Winter
- Month
- Late January to March
- Region
- Hokkaido
- Prefecture
- Hokkaido
- City
- Kamikawa
Highlights
- ◆Frozen waterfalls illuminated in vivid colours at night
- ◆Ice sculptures carved by local artisans throughout the gorge
- ◆Fireworks fired within the narrow canyon on special evenings
- ◆Warm food and sake stalls for cold-weather comfort
- ◆Access via Sounkyo Onsen resort with hot spring facilities nearby