Tourists Flock to Ice Dome Lodge at Resort in Hokkaido, Japan; Facility Invites Visitors to Sleep on Beds Made of Ice

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Guests relax in the Ice Hotel lodge at Hoshino Resorts Tomamu in Shimukappu, Hokkaido.

SAPPORO — Tourists are flocking to a special lodge made completely of ice at a resort in Shimukappu, Hokkaido. The dome-shaped lodge, called the Ice Hotel, is located at Hoshino Resorts Tomamu and is made of a single, seamless piece of ice.

The lodge is about 8.5 meters in diameter and about 3.5 meters high. The beds and other furnishings are also made of ice.

The temperature inside the lodge is about minus 5 C to 7 C, but resort officials say that guests can comfortably sleep with the help of equipment such as cold-resistant sleeping bags.

The lodge, which will operate until Feb. 20, is inside the resort’s Ice Village area, which opens only during winter.

The Ice Hotel can accommodate only one guest booking per day, but even those who are not staying overnight can come to see it. Entrance to the Ice Village costs ¥600.