Giant Snow Monsters Appear in Hakkoda Mountains; Tourists Flock to Area to See Snow-Covered Trees

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:19 JST, January 17, 2025

AOMORI — The Hakkoda Mountains in Aomori Prefecture are now guarded by soft rime, better known as snow monsters or ice trees.

During the first three-day weekend of the year from Jan. 11 to 13, days that were blessed with fine weather, many tourists both from Japan and abroad visited the area to see the huge snow monsters.

Snow monsters appear when droplets of water that fall below the freezing point hit the Abies sachalinensis trees and snow sticks to the icy spots. The buildup grows as it snows. According to 4-Ride, which offers ice tree tours in the Hakkoda Mountains, this year’s growth is faster than usual due to the large amount of snowfall.

The Hakkoda Mountains are known as one of Japan’s three best places to view the ice trees, including the Zao Mountains that straddle Miyagi and Yamagata prefectures. At the 1,324 meter-high Tamoyachidake peak of North Hakkoda, visitors can enjoy viewing the 3-meter-high ice trees.

Skiers and snowboarders were seen nimbly gliding alongside the ice trees on Sunday. Some even touched the snow monsters.

The best time to see the ice monsters will last until early March.