Experience Finnish-Style Frozen Lake Bathing in Hokkaido Town

SHINTOKU, Hokkaido — Finland is a nation famed for its saunas. But do you know about avanto, the Finnish tradition of cutting a hole in the ice on a frozen lake to bathe in the water underneath? And did you know this is also practiced in Japan? “Hokkaido Avanto” began for the season on Jan. 11 at Lake Kuttari in the town of Shintoku, Hokkaido.