The Shirakawa Ice Pillars is a natural phenomena that occurs every winter along one of the cliffs of Mt. Ontake. The water that naturally runs down the side of the mountain freezes over and by January, giant ice pillars up to 50 meters in height stretch across a length of 250 meters to form enormous pillars of ice.

The sight is truly awe-inspiring. From January to mid-February, the ice pillars are illuminated at night creating a magical and mystical winter wonderland.