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HOME > Japan’s Local Treasures > Shirogane Blue Pond in Biei
A marvel of nature becomes a landscape of bright lights and fluffy and pure white snow in the winter months
Hokkaido Tourism Organization
The extraordinarily blue waters of the Shirogane Blue Pond rose to fame after being selected for use as one of Apple’s iOS wallpapers.
The appearance of the blue pond differs with the season and weather. In spring, from May to early June, the water is mixed with freshly melted snow from the Daisetsu Mountains and appears a light greenish-blue. As summer approaches, the water begins to appear light blue. In the autumn, the water’s surface is painted with the reflected colors of the surrounding warmly colored autumn foliage, and in the deep midwinter, a blanket of pure white snow forms over the pond’s frozen surface.
The frozen surface of the Blue Pond is lit up with a fabulous array of blue lights every evening from November until April. This incredible light display tells an entire story about this silvery winter wonderland, revealing a side of the pond which cannot be seen during the daytime.
How to get there
Fly from Haneda Airport to Asahikawa (approx. 1 hour 35 minutes), then take the Furano Lavender Bus from Asahikawa Airport to JR Biei Station (about 15 minutes). From Biei Station, take the Dohoku bus bound for Shiragane Onsen to the Shirogane Aoi-ike Iriguchi stop (about 20 minutes). The pond is about a 5-minute walk away.
The Shirogane Aoi-ike Iriguchi bus stop can also be reached via Hokkaido Bus from JR Asahikawa Station (about 1 hour 10 minutes).
Shirogane, Biei-cho, Kamikawa-gun, Hokkaido
