Visitors are drawn to the serene stillness of the icy Fukuroda Falls.

The Fukuroda Falls are one of Ibaraki Prefecture’s most celebrated travel destinations. Many say that the best time to pay them a visit is in autumn, when the 120-meter (394-foot) tall series of waterfalls is framed with the vibrant colors of the changing leaves of the surrounding forest.

However, there’s also something to be said for planning your trip to Fukuroda Falls in mid-winter. Provided you’ve got a very warm jacket, that is, because the temperatures in Daigo, the town where the falls are located, dip so low that sometimes the waterfalls freeze.

While this phenomenon occurs to varying degrees most years, this year’s cold snap has been especially severe. On the coldest days of 2016, 70 to 80 percent of the falls froze, but this January as much as 90 percent of its flow has turned to ice.

▼ The effect is even more beautiful when seen in video format.

Experts say that there’s a chance this week of the fall completely freezing, something which hasn’t happened since 2012, when the ice was hard enough for brave souls to climb up the suspended waterfall.

▼ With an outdoor temperature of -4 degrees Celsius (24.8 degrees Fahrenheit) on January 25, the falls were 90-percent frozen.

Fukuroda Falls will be illuminated on the nights of January 27-29, and are sure to be a beautiful sight to see. Just don’t forget to take a Thermos of hot green tea with you.

Related: Fukuroda Falls website
Source: IT Media