NUMATA, Gunma -- The Yuki Hotaru (snow fireflies) illumination event using lanterns made of ice ended on Saturday at the Oigami Onsen hot spring resort in Numata, Gunma Prefecture.
About 100 lanterns made of ice, which were produced in freezers or by other means, were placed along paths and waterways in the multipurpose area of Oigami Onsen wetland park.
Amid lights from candles in the lanterns and under the constellations, locals served tonjiru pork soup and amazake sweet rice drinks to visitors.
In usual years, the area is covered by at least 30 centimeters of snow. Hundreds of lanterns are usually made from snow, but this year, the shortage of snow due to unusually warm weather forced organizers to prepare only lanterns made of ice. The event was held for only two days after mid-January from the scheduled seven.
"This kind of season is a first for me," said Mitsuru Kaneko, 68, head of the hot spring resort's tourism association. "The task now is finding how we can overcome the shortage of snow in the future."
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