On February 11, an ‘ice carousel’ – a merry-go-round in which the frozen surface of a lake is cut to form a circle which is then rotated on the surface of the water – appeared at Lake Sakuraoka in the town of Kembuchi in northern Hokkaido. An event scheduled for this month was cancelled due to the spread of the coronavirus, but the town’s tourism association made the carousel to promote the event for next season and beyond.
　
Approximately 20 people involved in planning the event participated. As the ice was thicker than expected, chainsaws and shovels were used to cut a 10-meter-diameter circle of ice, five meters smaller than scheduled. The carousel was then rotated by hand. Participants sat on benches set up on the carousel to enjoy the snowy scenery, and approximately 30 ice-candles were lit around the circumference of the circle in the evening. According to the executive director of the tourism association, “Next winter, we would like to hold an event that attracts people from home and abroad.”