Hokkaido Day 8
So I heard you like snow?
8th day in Hokkaido (1/31/2026) - this time at a festival at lake Shikaribetsu, while based out of Otofuke. Lake Shikaribetsu is a lake located in the mountains nearby Otofuke, in the Tokachi Shikaoi area. There’s an event every winter at this lake where locals and volunteers from afar come together to build igloos and buildings on the ice lake and invite people to come in and enjoy festivities together.
I got the opportunity to interview the manager of the event to find out how exactly they managed to create these buildings out of only ice and snow - including the pictured “Ice Bar” where I ordered a snowberry soda (Non-Alc!). It was absolutely stunning to be in a place like that.
I learned from the manager that the ice produced at lake Shikaribetsu is a bit special - the Onsen waters actually emanate from the mountains surrounding the lake, and feed into the lake from the *bottom*. This means that there are gasses from the heated water that bubble up to the surface, get caught under the ice, and then slowly over time as new layers of ice end up forming underneath as the winter gets colder, the ice picks up this sort of aerated-bubbly quality. 45 Years later after people started playing with and building stuff out of the ice at lake Shikaribetsu, it’s a full-blown winter festival equipped with an open air bath that is located on TOP of the lake itself.
Apart from this, filming is coming to a close shortly, but the time remaining is going to be a busy one - starting in Obihiro and eventually heading out west, west, west, to lake Toya. Thank you all for coming along with me on this ride 🙇♂️
The best way to keep up with further conversations is to be a subscriber to The Lanyard Board, and to check out The Lanyard Board on social media.
The Lanyard Board is supported by readers like yourself. If you can, please support the project on Ko-Fi and tip the suggested amount of $2 for every month you feel a spark of enjoyment, insight or curiosity from The Lanyard Board.
Thanks for reading The Lanyard Board! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.