The ice Seicomart is a convenience store that could only be built in this part of Japan.
You can find some pretty incredible stuff inside Japanese convenience stores, what with their fried chicken-flavor potato chips and teriyaki burger steamed buns. This winter, there’s going to be a convenience store in Japan that’s amazing not just because of its products, but because of the store itself.
As Japan’s northernmost prefecture, Hokkaido gets very cold in the winter. That goes double for Shimukappu, a town located high in the mountains where the temperature can drop down to -30 degrees Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit). Thanks to those chilly conditions Shimukappu is going to have a convenience store made out of ice.
Fittingly the ice convenience store will be a branch of Seicomart, the Hokkaido-based chain that’s beloved by locals and visitors alike. In addition to regular Seikomart products, the ice store will also have an “Ice Chef” counter with special frozen yogurt desserts served in dishes made of ice.
The chilly temperatures that make an ice convenience store possible in Shimukappu also provide the area with some top-notch ski slopes, which in turn means hotels to accommodate winter sport enthusiasts. The Seikomart made of ice will be built on the grounds of the Hoshino Resorts Tomamu resort as part of its annual Ice Village event. Other structures in the 11-building winter-only enclave will include hotel guestrooms, a bar, a dessert cafe, and a wedding chapel.
This year’s Ice Village opens in December 12 and runs until March 14, and even people not staying overnight at the resort are welcome (though there’s a 545-yen [US3.80] admission fee for non-hotel guests). No word yet as to whether or not the ice Seicomart will be selling the chain’s amazingly cheap 100-yen pasta dishes.
Sources: Newscast, Hoshino Resorts Tomamu
Images: Newscast
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
[ Read in Japanese ]
Follow Casey on Twitter, where he has fond memories of Seicomart’s chocolate chip cookies.
[ Read in Japanese ]