Shikaoi Town

• Hokkaido
• Area Info
• Sightseeing
• Accommodation
• Activities
• Nature
• Festivals & Events
• Spring
• Summer
• Autumn
• Winter

Shikaoi Town, in the western Tokachi region, is home to Lake Shikaribetsu — Hokkaido's highest lake at 810 meters above sea level, sitting within Daisetsuzan National Park. Surrounded by primeval forest and harboring the endemic 'Miyabe char' fish, the lake's mystical scenery captivates visitors year-round. Each February, the frozen lake surface hosts 'Shikaribetsu Lake Kotan' — a temporary ice village built on the ice itself, featuring an open-air hot spring bath, an ice bar, an ice church, and other surreal experiences found nowhere else on Earth. This unique winter event has won the Suntory Award for Regional Culture. Summer brings Canadian canoe and stand-up paddleboard experiences on the lake, while autumn hikers search for pika (Ochotona hyperborea) among the alpine boulders. For travelers seeking once-in-a-lifetime experiences in true wilderness, this is one of Hokkaido's unmissable hidden gems.