The white hall of Koyukan with its red-trimmed sloping roof, seen across the sand and car park at dusk.Photo: Google Maps listing · SourceThe wide ice sheet of Koyukan under a long arched steel roof, seen from the stands, with skaters spread across the rink and a coloured wave frieze along the walls.Photo: Google Maps listing · Source
The San'in region's biggest skating rink, on the shore of Lake Shinji
Koyukan, in Shinjiko Park in Izumo, calls itself the largest authentic skating rink in the San'in region. The rink season runs from early October to early May, and the hall also has a multipurpose ground that stays open all year.
The site is run by an NPO and shows a calendar for every month, marking the days when the ice is used by clubs or tournaments and so closed to general skating. This season it introduced skating aids for beginners, which are lent at the skate counter and cannot be booked. Schools and nurseries can use the rink for classes on special terms.
Its lesson list covers Sunday skating classes, beginner figure skating, general Koyukan skating classes and a beginner ice hockey class, and guests may bring their own food and eat beside the ice.
Before you head out.
Admission, rentals and arrival details, researched from official rink information. Source checks stay current for 30 days.
Admission
By day, skating costs ¥1,300 for adults, ¥1,000 for high school and university students and ¥700 for junior high school students and younger; on weekday evenings (entry from 17:00) it is ¥1,000, ¥700 and ¥500. Groups of 20 or more, or holders of discount cards, pay ¥100 less, and hire skates cost ¥500.