Things to do in Betsukai Town：Ice horizon walk

A special winter adventure walking on the frozen sea

On the Notsuke Peninsula, located on the eastern tip of Hokkaido, you can enjoy a special winter activity called the Ice Horizon Walk from late January to mid-March. In this experience, you walk along the “Ice Horizon,” which is created by freezing Notsuke Bay in the Inland Sea and spreading out like a horizon. The vast scenery where the blue sky meets the pure white ice is also known as Japan’s “Salt Flats of Uyuni,” and it has become a hot topic as an Instagram-worthy spot.

 

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The charm of the Ice Horizon Walk

The ice horizon is a vast field of ice in Notsuke Bay that freezes during the harsh winter months. The Notsuke Peninsula is Japan’s largest sand peninsula, with a total length of 26 kilometers and a width of only 50 meters at its narrowest point. For this reason, the unique topography where you can see the ocean on both sides is completely covered in ice in winter. The Notsuke Peninsula has a distinctive topography of sand spits, so there are no mountains and the sky feels wide, and the contrast between blue and white creates a magnificent natural beauty.

 

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Amazing experience of walking on ice

At the Ice Horizon Walk on the Notsuke Peninsula, you can walk through a 360-degree panoramic world of ice. The appeal of this walk is that you can experience the feeling of having the pure white, flat land of ice all to yourself. In addition to enjoying the scenery, you can also take trick photos using perspective while receiving guidance from your guide. The photos you take while wearing snowshoes will look great on SNS, and will give you tangible memories of your trip with family and friends.

 

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Enjoy safely with a guided tour

As you are actually walking on the ocean above the frozen Notsuke Bay, it is recommended that you take a guided tour to enjoy it safely. Walking without a guide is extremely dangerous, and it is said that sika deer may actually fall into cracks in the ice. The guided tour introduces the winter scenery and creatures, and you can walk while listening to commentary about the nature and history of the Notsuke Peninsula.

 

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Todowara Ice Horizon Walk Tour and Mini Walk

There are two types of Ice Horizon Walk tours sponsored by the Nature Center. First, on the 2-hour “Todowara Ice Horizon Walk Tour,” we will head to Todowara, where there is a withered fir tree in the snowy field. Todowara has a quietness and beauty that is different from the summer, and you can enjoy the scenery unique to the Notsuke Peninsula in the winter. In addition, for tourists with limited time, there is a 1-hour “mini walk” that allows you to enjoy the ice horizon even for a short time.

 

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Reservation information and precautions

Advance reservations are required for the Ice Horizon Walk Tour, and reservations can only be made by phone from 3 days in advance (Telephone number: 0153-82-1270). Additionally, you will need to take precautions against the cold during the tour, and due to the special environment of being on ice, we recommend wearing cold weather gear and snowshoes.

 

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To the expanding world of white and blue

The Ice Horizon is a special winter scenery that stretches across the eastern edge of Japan. At the Ice Horizon Walk on the Notsuke Peninsula, you can have the rare experience of walking on the frozen sea. Please join a guided tour and enjoy the beauty of the “Ice Horizon,” the boundary between the vast icy land and the sky.

Link：Hokkaido official tourism website

Todowara Ice Horizon Walk

Time available for experience :

①Morning session 9:30~
② Afternoon session: 12:30~

*Subject to change due to circumstances

Required time: Approximately 2 hours (3km walk)

Price: Adults: 4,500 yen (snowshoes included)

Elementary school students are half price, and children are free (as they will be walking 3km).

Ice horizon mini walk

Implementation period:

Mid-January to early March

Depends on the ice situation that year.

Time available for experience: Any time (between 9:00 and 15:00)

Duration: approximately 1 hour

Fee: 2,300 yen for adults (1,500 yen for groups)
Elementary school students are half price, infants are free

Number of participants: 2 to 1 person will be charged 1.5 times the price

Things to prepare: Winter clothing (no rental, items that do not allow wind to pass through), hats, gloves, scarves, etc. to avoid exposing your skin as much as possible .

Shared matters

Implementation period: Late January to early March

Depends on the ice situation that year.

Number of participants: 2 to 1 person will be charged 1.5 times the price

What to prepare: Winter clothing (no rental, something that doesn’t allow wind to pass through), hats, gloves, scarves, etc. to avoid exposing your skin as much as possible.

Wear long shoes such as snow boots or mountain climbing spats for your feet.
Walk about 3km in 2 hours. Trick photography uses your camera/smartphone.

Contact: Notsuke Peninsula Nature Center 0153-82-1270