NARUSAWA, Yamanashi -- Driven by the intense heat wave sweeping the nation, people are flocking to the cool oasis of the Narusawa Hyoketsu Ice Cave in Narusawa, Yamanashi Prefecture.
The cave, designated as a national natural monument, is located at the foot of Mt. Fuji. It was created by lava that flowed from the eruption of a side volcano on Mt. Fuji.
The temperature in the 153-meter-long cave, which is 21 meters below the ground at its deepest point, remains between about 0 C and 3 C throughout the year.
Its main attraction is its 3-meter high ice pillars, which are typically formed when water seeping from the ceiling falls to the ground and freezes. This summer, however, the ice pillars melted due to the long rainy season.
Even so, visitors are still enjoying the coolness of the cave, while viewing the ice lit up by blue lights. "It's cool and refreshing here," one visitor commented.
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