SHIMUKAPPU, Hokkaido -- The "Ice Hotel" at Hoshino Resorts Tomamu opened here on Jan. 20, offering guests a chance to stay in sub-zero conditions.

The dome-shaped room is 8.5 meters in diameter and 3.5 meters floor-to-ceiling. It features a double bed, table, shelf and sofa -- all made of ice. Guests sleep in specially designed sleeping bags for cold-weather comfort. This season, the floor layout has been updated to position beds with a view of the outdoors, and a newly added "ice terrace" provides extra space outside.

Visitors can also enjoy an "ice open-air bath" set in a birch forest, where a bathtub is surrounded by a circular arrangement of ice

The Ice Hotel is open until Feb. 28 and accommodates only one person or pair per night, ensuring an exclusive experience.

(Japanese original by Taichi Kaizuka, Hokkaido Photo and Video Department)