Deep within the basalt columns of Sounkyo Gorge in Daisetsuzan National Park, this festival constructs enormous ice pavilions and frozen waterfalls that are illuminated in vivid colour each evening from late January through mid-March. Locals pump water onto scaffolding for weeks to create the towering ice structures, some over ten metres high. Fireworks launched from the gorge walls reflect off the ice in dramatic fashion on weekend nights. The surrounding onsen town provides warm refuge between evening light shows.
- Type
- Festival
- Category
- Snow/Winter
- Season
- Winter
- Month
- Late January to mid-March
- Region
- Hokkaido
- Prefecture
- Hokkaido
- City
- Kamikawa (Sounkyo Gorge)
Highlights
- ◆Towering man-made ice pavilions illuminated in colour
- ◆Dramatic fireworks echoing off basalt gorge walls
- ◆Natural frozen waterfall formations nearby
- ◆Onsen ryokan accommodation within walking distance
- ◆Star-gazing from the gorge on clear winter nights