People enjoy an ice plunge at the Avanto Kuttariko facility in Shintoku in Hokkaido’s Tokachi region. (Shigehito Nakazawa)

Photo/Illutration A man cools off in the frozen Lake Kuttari after taking a sweat sauna in Shintoku, Hokkaido, on Jan. 15. (Shigehito Nakazawa)

SHINTOKU, Hokkaido--An import from Finland has led to scenes of semi-naked men running out of a hot sauna hut and jumping into a hole in the ice covering a frigid lake here this winter.

This method of cooling down after taking a sweat bath is called “avanto” in Finnish. And it has proved exhilarating for visitors to Shintoku in the northwestern part of Hokkaido’s Tokachi Plain.

Tokachi Sauna Inc., a group established in 2020 by hotel operators, tourism organizations and hospitals in the Tokachi region, opened a facility called Avanto Kuttariko (Lake Kuttari) in January, together with Yuyado Kuttari Onsen Lake Inn and others.

Kuttari is a dam-created lake located near the Daisetuzan National Park.

One corner of the lake features a 1-meter-by-1.5-meter hole dug through the 15-centimeter-thick sheet of ice.

On Jan. 15, a group of men in bathing suits warmed up in a lakefront sauna hut. They emerged from the hut, ran on the ice and jumped through the hole and into the 0.9-degree water.

The men poked their faces out of the water and said, “Ahh, it’s so cool.”

They climbed a ladder to get out of the hole, dried themselves off and sat on nearby chairs to enjoy the view in the bitter cold weather. They all had looks of satisfaction.

“The limit for soaking in the water is about 30 seconds,” Teppei Goto, a 35-year-old bather, said. “But after getting out of the water, it feels warm even if the air temperature is below zero.”

Goto works at a sauna facility in the city of Obihiro in Hokkaido. But avanto gives him “a sense of exhilaration that cannot be felt in an ordinary sauna.”

“It is the best,” he said.

Sauna-loving hotel operators realized that the Tokachi region’s natural scenery and its microthermal climate are similar to those of Finland.

They established Tokachi Sauna to promote tourism to the area through a Finland-style sauna and conducted demonstration experiments to maximize the use of local resources, such as Hokkaido’s many frozen lakes during the bitter winter months.

Sixteen companies and organizations that operate nine facilities offering steam saunas using “loyly” hot stones have joined the group.

A local outdoor company, TAC Tokachi Adventure Club, provides staff members who accompany visitors to the facility.

Safety measures have been taken, such as spreading a net beneath the hole to prevent users from drifting under the ice.

Kazunori Hayamaru, who runs an outdoor tourism service company called Destination Tokachi, has also joined the group.

“There are many people who love sauna and hope to experience avanto in Finland at least once,” he said.

He urged such people to visit Avanto Kuttariko, which offers “a top-class sauna experience utilizing local resources.”

The facility is expected to be open every day until mid-March.

The fee is 19,500 yen ($170) per person for two hours, including tax. Reservations are required.

For more information:（https://tokachi-sauna.com/avanto/）

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