Japan has a hotel made entirely of ice, and it's a real-life winter wonderland

Melina Glusac

2018-10-26T15:56:19Z

【トマム】氷のホテル — A hotel room — or "igloo" — at the resort. Courtesy Hoshino Resorts TOMAMU.

Japan is no stranger to interesting hotels, but its latest, an "ice hotel" in the town of Shimukappu, might just take the cake.

The Hoshino Resort TOMAMU Ice Village in Hokkaido is completely frozen from top to bottom. Besides fuzzy sleeping bags used at bedtime, everything in the resort is made of ice: rooms, baths, the lounge, and even the bar.

But it's only open for a limited time during winter, so rooms — or rather, igloos — fill up quickly.

Keep scrolling to see photos of the resort that may just inspire your next trip to Japan.

The Hoshino Resort TOMAMU Ice Village in Hokkaido, Shimukappu, Japan, is totally frozen.

【トマム】アイスヴィレッジ全景 — The Hoshino Resort TOMAMU Ice Village. Courtesy Hoshino Resorts TOMAMU.

The hotel is part of an "Ice Village" in which visitors can enjoy ice skating, food, drinks, and a warm-water rotenburo (outdoor hot bath).

Hoshino Resorts TOMAMU boasts over 20 sit-down restaurants, in addition to places for quick bites. Al fresco dining is also an option.

hoshino eat — A couple eating outside. Facebook/Hoshino Resorts Tomamu, Japan

There's a dining hall, a soup restaurant, a "green" deli, and — of course — fresh sushi.

There's also the Ice Books & Chairs Café, which features ice bookshelves filled with (hopefully laminated) novels.

hoshino bar — The Ice Books & Chairs Café. Facebook/Hoshino Resorts Tomamu, Japan

Complete with ice chairs and an ice fireplace, Tomamu's café is a place to relax and unwind. And beyond drinks, it serves cheese fondue with iced vegetables.

Of course, it serves frozen drinks in glasses made of ice.

【トマム】氷のBooks_Café 氷のラテ — Frozen drinks at the bar. Courtesy Hoshino Resorts TOMAMU.

Temperatures at the snowy resort reach as low as -30°C (-22°F), according to their website.

The café also recommends books, and features ample room to cozy up in for a reading session.

【トマム】氷のBooks_Café 女性イメージ — A guest reading at the Ice Books & Chairs Café. Courtesy Hoshino Resorts TOMAMU.

The village also features a wide array of winter activities.

【トマム】アイスリンク　女性イメージ — Guests enjoy ice skating. Courtesy Hoshino Resorts TOMAMU.

Ice skating is a popular one, of course. But TOMAMU also offers skiing, snowmobiling, and ice fishing.

And is totally family-friendly.

【トマム】氷のすべり台 — A little girl rides down the frozen slide. Courtesy Hoshino Resorts TOMAMU.

There's a "Farm Christmas" celebration, complete with a Christmas tree and petting-zoo animals, as well as a Banana Boat to ride down the ski slopes, and a unique kind of "snow rafting" in which guests are pulled in an inflatable "tube" by a snow mobile.

But the star of the show is undoubtedly the ice hotel, whose rooms are igloos complete with ice walls, beds, and furniture.

But the resort equips you with sleeping bags designed to accommodate "extreme cold," so there's no need to worry about getting chilly at night.

It also features a frozen, open-air lounge to kick back in for some stargazing.

tomamu lounge — Guests enjoying the outdoor frozen lounge. Facebook/Hoshino Resorts Tomamu, Japan

Rooms fill up quickly, though, as the resort is only open for a limited time.

tomamu room — Inside an igloo room in the ice village. Facebook/Hoshino Resorts Tomamu, Japan

This year, the Ice Village is only open from December 10 to about mid-March. The village itself is free to visit, but room rates run about 23,000 yen per person for one night, which is roughly $205.

If you're looking for a real-life winter wonderland, Hoshino Resort TOMAMU is the place.

【トマム】氷の教会 — The ice church at Hoshino Resort Tomamu. Courtesy Hoshino Resorts TOMAMU.

Tomamu even has an ice church, designed to look like one seamless piece of ice. There's an ice altar, an ice cross, and a private road, sure to make any couple feel like they're walking through their own wonderland.

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