A midwinter "low-slung" art festival organized by Cliffside Hot Springs! The midwinter art festival "Shakotan Onsen Art Festival" will be held for the first time for nine days from February 15th to 24th, 2025, at the hot spring facility "Misaki no Yu Shakotan" in Shakotan Town, Hokkaido.

The name "Shakotan" comes from the Ainu word "Shakukotan," which means "summer place." This is an experimental attempt to combine art and fun during the snowstorm season. A special space and time will be created, packed with contemporary art, live performances, food, a special sauna, and more. Come and enjoy a different kind of midwinter "Shakotan adventure" with us!

*The origin of the name Shakotan is the Ainu language, a combination of the words shaku and kotan. Shaku means summer, and kotan means village or hometown, so Shak Kotan comes from the word summer place.

■Art Exhibition
Art exhibition by contemporary artists

■Showcase
A diverse range of performing arts, including dance and music, come together

■Sauna
Enjoy Cape no Yu Shakotan's famous sauna and outdoor bathing in the winter snowstorms blowing in from the Sea of Japan!

■Food
A pop-up restaurant offering a special menu themed on Taiwan and Shakotan has appeared

<Event Program>
■Sauna ~ Fubuki's extreme sauna & illuminated art hot spring
During the season, the open-air bath at Cape Shakotan is transformed into an extreme outdoor bathing space with snowstorms blowing up from the Sea of Japan. Of course, you can even dive into the snow. Enjoy it together with the botanical sauna, which uses the same botanicals used in Shakotan's craft gin for the loyly!

■Food〜Taiwan × Shakotan pop-up restaurant
During the art festival, a pop-up restaurant will be set up offering a special menu with a Taiwan x Shakotan theme! Taiwanese manager Wu will be showing off his skills, and the menu will be supervised by Sfida Fabbrica's Kazuhiko Maeda!

■Art ~ Art Exhibition ~ From modern art to real Picasso!? The hot spring facility becomes an art museum! ~
Artists from inside and outside Hokkaido will be invited to exhibit their works inside and outside Cape no Yu Shakotan. The facility will be transformed into a different art space than usual. The contrast between the snowy scenery and art, and the new combination with hot springs and saunas can only be experienced during these nine days! Participating artists will be announced one after another, so be sure to check it out!

<First announcement>
Kiyofumi Takahashi / SUMA / Chim↑Pom from Smappa!Group / OBA

■Art × Hot Springs ~ Spatial Design by Junichi Arai
The venue, Misaki no Yu Shakotan's open-air bath, bathroom and sauna space, will be transformed into a special space different from usual, with lighting as the main setting.

■Nozuka Elementary School Documentary Art Project Takehiko Komachiya + Yuji Nagamatsu
Nozuka Elementary School, which boasts a history of 134 years since its founding, will close in March 2025. There are currently only four students in the school. Along with records of the school's daily life up until the school's closure, individual memories and thoughts will be visualized from a documentary perspective, and visitors will be able to participate in creating a new story.

■Snow Hide-and-Seek Tournament
Sunday, February 23rd, 12:45-16:00 (Registration begins at 12:00)
The "Snow Hide-and-Seek Tournament," which was held for the first time in the world last year, is coming back more powerful than ever!
The "International Snow Hide-and-Seek Tournament" will be held in the middle of winter in Shakotan, Hokkaido! The rules will be based on the world standard for hide-and-seek. Special guests such as the Japanese Hide-and-Seek representative, members of the Antarctic Expedition, and members of the Japan Self-Defense Force Rangers will also be participating! For more details, please click the link!

and more...
Please look forward to the next update and part two!!!