A small village made of ice is set to pop up in Hokkaido, Japan, during the winter season and will accommodate guests in a season-limited ice hotel.
Hoshino Resort Tomamu commissioned the construction of its special Ice Village to attract visitors out on a skiing-holiday and those attending the annual Sapporo Snow Festival, according to a statement.
The Tomamu resort is located at Shimukappu, a town just 20 minutes away from Sapporo through Doto Expressway. This makes it easy for travelers to access. The Ice Village will be made possible due to the freezing weather in the area, which can go down to as low as -30 degrees Celsius in January and February.
Early visitors may enjoy various attractions and activities within the Ice Village. The place has an Ice Bar, a skating rink, a cafe to relax and read a book in, a gift shop, ice-glass-making sessions, and even a chapel for those who want a to prove how warm they feel for each other.
At night, the Ice Village can host a group of up to six travelers to stay at the Ice Hotel. Like most high-end hotel accommodations, the package comes with meals, breakfast and beds in the form of special insulated sleeping bags on top of the icy furniture.
Guests who aren’t ready to tuck in yet can head over to the bar and take their pick of the hotel’s various concoctions to warm up. They may also mix their own favorite drinks.
Apart from bedroom made of ice, the hotel will even provide bathing facilities. However, it’s not clear whether toilets would also be made of ice as that would make it difficult to do one’s business on a frozen throne.
The Ice village will welcome the public starting Dec. 10 and until March 14, 2019, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. with an admission fee of 500 yen (around P240). The Ice Hotel, on the other hand, will open its doors on Jan. 19, 2019, to ensure a cold enough weather for the ice structures to stay upright. Reservations for an overnight stay started on Sept. 19 on the official website, which can be viewed in English, Japanese and Chinese. Stay reservations will only be available until Feb. 28, 2019.
Since the Ice Village is not likely to survive the changing of the seasons, it would make a nice change of scenery in which to celebrate the holiday season and the early new year. Those who miss it could probably wait for the next winter for the Ice Village to be reconstructed. /ra
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