Dreamlike Snowscape – The "Phantom Snow Amanohashidate" Appears Less Than Three Times a Year

▲ The rarely snow-covered Amanohashidate takes on a dreamy look with its snow mantle. (Photo provided by Lin Yifeng)

Reported by Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Snow is rare in Kyoto, Japan, but this year brought several snowfalls, with snow-draped Kinkaku-ji, Ginkaku-ji, and Kiyomizu-dera all taking visitors’ breath away. This cold wave not only brought temperatures below 10°C to Taipei but also blanketed the seldom-snowy Amanohashidate in white. The snow-covered view of Amanohashidate, which appears less than three times a year, is called the "Phantom Snow Amanohashidate."

Located in Miyazu City, Kyoto Prefecture, Amanohashidate is a long sandbar formed by tidal deposits. When viewed upside down between your legs, the sandbar looks like a bridge floating in the sky — hence its name "Amanohashidate," which means "Heavenly Bridge." It is one of Japan’s Three Views, alongside Miyajima in Hiroshima Prefecture and Matsushima in Miyagi Prefecture. Though it's a sandbar, the island is covered with around 8,000 pine trees.

Because the Amanohashidate sandbar is usually covered in lush green pines, it mostly presents a deep green hue. But the heavy snowfall on the 9th turned the pine forests into something like frosted white confections, creating an incredibly dreamy scene. Lin Yifeng, the Chinese-speaking consultant at the Amanohashidate Tourism Association, said that since the snowscape here is rare (usually appearing less than three times a year), some people also call it the "Phantom Snow Amanohashidate."


▲"Phantom Snow Amanohashidate." (Photo provided by Lin Yifeng)