Experience a trip on an Icebreaker ship in Hokkaido this spring as the ship returns to Lake Akan from April 21 to April 28.

Japan’s only Icebreaker sightseeing boat trip season is coming soon!

The event is one of a kind in Japan and is run by the New Akan Hotel which is situated on the shore of Lake Akan, Hokkaido. Scheduled to last only for one week, the event could end early if the ice begins to disappear sooner than expected, so it is best to book places ASAP!

Don’t worry if you can’t travel this time around due to current circumstances as the Icebreaker ship returns to the lake each year to make way for the beginning of spring! (But for those who are in Japan, as of April 5th, the trip is still planned as scheduled)

Originally the ice at Lake Akan was broken using a small pleasure boat to open up the sailing route for Golden Week, but eventually, a tour using an Icebreaker ship not too dissimilar to the ones used in Okhotsk, Russia, was introduced to the lake so that everybody could observe the powerful spectacle of icebreaking.

As the ice is broken by the weight of the ship, powerful vibrations can be felt as they tremble through the hull and viewers can watch as the broken ice collides in the waves below.

A break in the ice field for the first time in several months reveals the surface of Lake Akan and announces the coming of spring, as snow-capped mountains continue to watch over the vast lake.

After the Icebreaker ship experience, visitors can warm their bodies and discuss the day’s events with friends, family, and lovers at the New Akan Hotel’s Tenku Garden Spa.

Event Details

When: Tuesday April 21 - Tuesday April 28

Location: Lake Akan Good Luck Forest Pier

Time: 8:00AM, 9:00AM, 10:00AM and 13:00PM

Adults: 1,000 YEN Children: 500 YEN

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*Each trip is around 15 minutes in length

*Planned dates may change or be cancelled depending on the condition of the ice on the lake.

New Akan Hotel

The New Akan Hotel boasts 370 rooms with 200 free parking spaces, and has access to a public bath, a garden spa and a restaurant with terraced dining.

Location: 2-8-8 Akan-ko Onsen, Akan-cho, Kushiro, Hokkaido 085-0467

TEL: 011-222-5032

Email: y-nitta@karakami-kankou.co.jp

The hotel can be reached in 1 hour and 20 minutes from Kushiro Station by shuttle bus (reservation is required) or in 1 hour by car from Kushiro Airport.