Memorable photo ops await on a trek to find curious formations of ice and snow on freezing snow-covered mountains and in a cave full of ice pillars standing like bamboo shoots!
That is so beautiful.
Capturing snow and ice formations on camera
while walking through silvery forests.
These magical creations are made possible
by the harsh winter conditions in this valley.
And deep in the mountain awaits a mystical icy scene.
Be immersed in a mysterious winter world of ice.
Wild Hokkaido!
The Toya-Usu Geopark, in the southwestern region of Hokkaido,
has spectacular scenery created by volcanic activity.
Mt. Tokushunbetsu is a volcano located in the geopark's east.
The deep valley here holds many mysterious natural formations
caused by ancient volcanic activity and the severe winter climate.
Visiting this area today is professional ski instructor Todd Thornley.
He's seen quite a few mysterious sights himself
in previous adventures with us.
On a Shiretoko Peninsula mountain,
his shadow was cast on a rainbow,
a very rare phenomenon called a Brocken specter.
And this was when he found a snow monster that looked like a giraffe.
He's encountered many mysteries crafted by nature.
This time, he'll attempt to capture even more curious sights on camera.
Walking along the river and seeing what the snow is like,
and hopefully seeing some really beautiful aspects of this area of Hokkaido.
I can't wait.
Snowshoes are essential for walking through deep snow like this.
The wide soles distribute weight evenly,
preventing you from sinking into the snow.
If you walk a little bit, you'll see it. There's like a V-shape, the valley.
He has enlisted the help of Sakai Fumiaki,
a guide who knows this area well.
Let's go.
Together, they head into the forest on a snow-covered path.
Their snowshoes propel them along the fluffy snow.
Todd-san, look.
Oh, look at that.
It's a "yukimakuri" in Japanese.
They've found a snow formation known as a "snow roller."
It almost looks like a roll cake.
That's really fun.
It occurs when the wind blows snow down an incline and rolls it up.
Todd quickly takes out his phone to capture the scene.
Snow roll. Looks like it's falling down towards us.
He's caught a natural phenomenon unique to this snowy mountain environment.
They continue on further through the silver valley.
It's said that this particular area also has an interesting sight.
They've come to a river.
In the water, there are multiple mounds of snow that look like mushroom caps.
The snow covers the rocks.
Yeah, I'm noticing that.
They're known as "snow caps."
The snow that sits on the top of the rock starts to puff out
and sag over the edges because of the weight.
Todd holds his camera steady.
He's captured a shot of the plump snow caps.
Fumiaki has spotted something else.
Here comes Todd.
- Can I run?
- Yeah.
These are "splash icicles."
The ice hangs like long fingers over the snow's edge.
These icicles are the result of cold water splashing and freezing
on the surface of the snow.
Todd captures this unique formation
made of snow, ice and water combined.
Almost looks like... For me, it looks like a whale
with, like, the water coming out of the whale's mouth in there.
That kind of nature art kind of intrigues me.
Ooh, that's a nice picture!
Amateur photographer here.
Todd goes searching for more of these unusual naturally made formations.
He looks up towards the sky.
There's a light flurry of snow.
Got one, it’s a beautiful one.
It looks like he's trying to photograph a snowflake.
Now for the SENSEI's Tip.
The first key to superb snowflake snapshots
is using a dark background.
Next, use a macro lens attachment for your phone.
These are easy to find.
The macro lens makes it possible to get up close
and take magnified shots of smaller subjects.
Okay. Try that again.
Whoa, look at that!
Magnified perfectly.
It's easy to photograph snowflakes using your phone.
Why don't you give it a try too?
Now they've come to the bottom of a cliff.
If we climb up this cliff,
then you can see fascinating nature over there.
Oh, I'm intrigued.
They remove their snowshoes
and put on helmets.
Where are they going?
They carefully climb up the cliff face.
Look at this cave!
Awaiting them at the top is an enormous cave
with a depth of about 30 meters.
It's filled with amazing ice formations.
Incredible how these are formed.
Many icicles are hanging from the cave ceiling.
There are so many icicles above,
so please watch out.
And also, do not stay underneath of the icicles.
Of course, they are all prepared with their helmets on.
Taking care of their surroundings,
they venture further into the cave.
Sticking up from the ground of the cave
are pillars of ice known as "ice bamboo shoots."
They can grow up to 2 meters high.
You can see over 2,000 ice bamboo shoots here.
It's a rare sight to see this many occurring naturally.
They proceed carefully along a route
with fewer bamboo shoots to avoid damaging them.
This cave is thought to have been formed by groundwater flowing through bedrock
and eroding away the volcanic rock.
Deeper in the cave, there are no icicles.
Instead, the hardened lava shows its bare rock face.
So, can you touch this surface?
Yeah, sure.
It's very rough, right?
Yeah, yeah, completely. It's almost like sand is on the rock.
There are many small holes on the surface of the rock
where the volcanic gases escaped
making it rough like sandpaper.
Groundwater appears to seep through these holes and cracks.
The continuously dripping water
is the source of the ice bamboo shoots.
One drop at a time,
the water drips from the ceiling
onto the top of the shoots.
When it drops onto a shoot,
it doesn't make its way to the ground.
Instead, it freezes the moment it lands on the tip.
This extremely rare footage
shows the growth over time of the ice bamboo.
It was taken over approximately one month
and captures the ice shoots slowly growing upwards.
Todd points his camera towards the ice bamboo shoots.
They glimmer beautifully as the light streaming through the entrance to the cave hits them.
Fumiaki also shows Todd his favorite way to photograph the ice bamboo
with a flashlight.
Shining a light through them changes their color.
And then if you look at it, depending on the angle, it just changes in the light
where you're looking through.
It totally reminds me of like artisan glass, glassmakers and
how they texturize things. It's just beautiful.
Oh, that's a way cooler picture!
One second. This is the one.
That's... That is so beautiful! Look at this.
The tower of ice appears like a guiding light
in the darkness of the cave.
I never thought of myself as a photographer, but I think that's a pretty cool picture.
Satisfied with his shots,
Todd returns with Fumiaki to the cave entrance.
Watch that.
The ceiling of the cave entrance is covered in a thick layer of frost.
If you look closely, they look like beautiful flowers
and are even called "frost flowers."
This large amount of frost flowers
is a result of the cave's unique environment.
Inside the cave, the air is moist from the groundwater.
When the moist air is exposed to the cold air from outside the cave,
it freezes on the surface of the rocks and icicles inside.
Instead of the water vapor becoming liquid,
it transforms into ice crystals straightaway.
As the crystals get bigger and bigger,
they blossom into beautiful frost flowers.
You can see the layer of crystals.
Yeah. And all the lines seem like they're running parallel to each other.
Todd witnessed such mysterious ice formations
in this snowy mountain cave.
I think it kind of... By going out there looking for some pictures,
I think it helped me try to see these water figures in a different light,
and try to look for different meaning in them.
So in that sense, I think it was really valuable.
Todd's camera lens has captured the incredible and mysterious beauty
of Hokkaido's winter snow and ice creations.
Wild Hokkaido! takes you on great activities
in the great outdoors of northern Japan.
Join us next time for another adventure.