The Tokai region continues to experience record-breaking heat, with consecutive days of extreme heat exceeding 40℃. Meteorologists have carefully selected spots where you can stay cool even on such scorching hot days! We will introduce recommended "cool spots" that you should definitely visit this summer.

Cool during the day!? "Oyster" shaved ice eaten on a superb view terrace of a popular ryokan

"Ikadaso Sanjo," celebrating its 70th anniversary, is a long-established ryokan located near Matoya Bay in Shima City, Mie Prefecture. It is known as a ryokan where you can enjoy oysters throughout the year, and among them, the brand oyster "Ise Shima Premium Oyster" is exquisite with its rich umami and creamy taste.

Furthermore, on the open terrace with a panoramic view of Matoya Bay, you can spend a moment forgetting the summer heat while feeling the pleasant sea breeze. As the sea breeze blows stronger when the temperature rises, it is recommended to visit in the afternoon or later.

The shaved ice served on such a superb view terrace is exceptional! Since oyster dishes are mainly in season in winter, "shaved ice" (kaki-gori), which is a play on words with "oyster" (kaki), was started in 2025 so that it can be enjoyed even in the summer season. It became a hot topic on social media and gained popularity, selling 1,500 cups in one month.

Our recommendation is the "Chocolat & Anglaise with Banana Topping" (1,400 yen). It uses homemade ice that is flavored with milk and sugar and takes two days to make, so the taste doesn't thin out even when it melts, allowing you to enjoy it to the end. Furthermore, with the rich custard-flavored sauce "Anglaise," homemade chocolate sauce, and banana topping, it's incredibly satisfying!

The limited-time summer item, "White Peach / Melon Half & Half" (2,000 yen), which is packed with large cut fruits, is also recommended.

Of note is the new summer creation, "Oyster Shaved Ice" (550 yen). *Scheduled to be sold until August

A novel menu item has appeared, featuring the brand oyster "Ise Shima Premium Oyster" on top of ice. Although the ice part is not edible, the chilled "oysters" enjoyed with the sea breeze are exceptional!

Ryokan Ikadaso Sanjo
Address: 883-12 Matoya, Isobe-cho, Shima City, Mie Prefecture
Phone: 0599-57-2035

Cool off while playing at a stone theme park! Underwater treasure hunt & giant underground labyrinth

"Stone Museum Hakusekikan" (admission fee: adults 1,200 yen, elementary school students 600 yen) in Nakatsugawa City, Gifu Prefecture, is an interactive theme park based on stones and minerals. It exhibits rare minerals and sparkling jewels, as well as stones from the Great Wall of China and the Egyptian pyramids. Inside the museum, you can also walk barefoot on a 30m long foot reflexology road made of stones, or experience "Treasure Hunting" (10 minutes 500 yen) to search for treasures using a metal detector.

The most popular activity is "Gemstone Hunting" (20 minutes, 800 yen), where you search for gemstones in water and gravel. The gravel filled with water contains 30 types of gemstones, including amethyst and tiger's eye, and some rare stones like ruby in zoisite.

Since the palms of your hands have many AVA vessels that regulate body temperature, cooling your hands allows the cold to be efficiently transmitted throughout your body via the blood, effectively cooling you down.

Furthermore, a recommended cool spot is the "Pyramid of Khufu" recreated at 1/10th scale. The giant pyramid, standing approximately 15m tall and weighing 5,500 tons, is impressive!

Underneath it, there's a 350m long labyrinth that can be enjoyed without additional charge, and even without air conditioning, a cool air of about 24℃ spreads throughout. Since large stones don't conduct heat, it feels like being in a natural air conditioner.

At "Cafe & Restaurant MW (Muu)," special menus commemorating the 40th anniversary of the museum's opening are available. The "Giant Pyramid Curry" (2,940 yen), weighing 1.5kg and about four times the normal size, and the cool dessert "Jewel Cream Soda" (640 yen), which uses colorful jellies as jewels, are only available now!

Stone Museum Hakusekikan
Address: 5263-7 Hirokawa, Nakatsugawa City, Gifu Prefecture
Phone: 0573-45-2110

200m long! A wind chime tunnel with 6,000 wind chimes that brings coolness

"Sekigahara Warland" (admission fee: adults 800 yen, children 500 yen) in Sekigahara Town, Gifu Prefecture, is the only interactive battlefield museum in Japan. On its vast grounds, powerful life-sized samurai statues are lined up, creating an atmosphere as if you've traveled back in time to the Sengoku period.

At Sekigahara Warland, a 200m long wind chime tunnel adorned with approximately 6,000 wind chimes appears for a limited time in summer. The gentle sound of the wind chimes evokes a cool breeze, alleviating the heat.

In addition, a cool indoor spot perfect for social media has been created. The "Shofu Uchiwa Festival," which creates a Japanese ambiance with 1,000 fans and folding fans, and the fantastical space created by Japanese umbrellas and gourds, evoke the feeling of summer in Japan.

Sekigahara Warland
Address: 1707-2 Sekigahara-cho, Fuwa-gun, Gifu Prefecture
Phone: 0584-43-1177

From CBC TV "Naruhodo Presenter! Hanasaka Times" broadcast on August 1, 2026 (Saturday) *Information in the article is as of the broadcast date.