I’ll come clean: one of the reasons I wanted to go to Toyokoro (Hokkaido, Japan) were these gorgeous photos of the Jewelry Ice Beach posted on Instagram.<\/p>\n
By Sandrine Merle.<\/p>\n
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On this beach in Otsu, Hokkaido, shards of ice glisten in the sunlight like precious stones. This natural phenomenon can be observed from January to February: it\u2019s caused by the frozen ice of the Tokachi River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean. This transparent, flowing ice is tossed, broken and polished by the strong waves, before washing up on the beach. There, depending on the time of day, they turn from blue to red to white, evoking in turn the beauty of sapphire, rose quartz, opal or diamond.<\/p>\n
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A rare phenomenon<\/strong><\/p>\n It’s at dawn that this phenomenon comes into its own. So I set my alarm for 05:00, put on my Eskimo outfit and drove an hour through the snow to reach this jewel-like itinerary. But all these wonderful images fail to mention that this phenomenon is not 100% guaranteed. Far from it… Nature being complex, a number of conditions have to come together: namely, clear skies, bright sunshine and polar temperatures approaching -20\u00b0C. It’s also best if the ice has been washed ashore shortly beforehand.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n