Ice Cave at Foot of Mt. Fuji Offers Place to Cool Down as Natural Refrigerator

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:30 JST, August 7, 2025

KOFU — Tourists seeking to cool down in the scorching heat are flocking to the Narusawa Hyoketsu Ice Cave in Yamanashi Prefecture, located at the foot of Mt. Fuji.

The cave, formed by lava that had flowed from a side volcano of Mt. Fuji during an eruption, is about 150 meters long and is 21 meters below the ground at its deepest point. Designated as a national natural monument, it cave features ice walls and ice pillars formed from droplets of water seeping from the ceiling.

The temperature inside the cave remains between about 0 C and 3 C throughout the year, even in the middle of summer.

“I was surprised as it was colder than I expected,” said a fifth-grade elementary school student who visited the cave with his family from Ise, Mie Prefecture. “It was like an adventure so it was fun.”