The Blue Pond of Biei

Nobody set out to build one of Hokkaido’s most photographed landscapes. The Blue Pond (Aoiike) near Biei formed almost by accident, when a dam built to protect the town from volcanic mudflows pooled mineral-laden water among a stand of larch trees.

Why It’s Interesting

The result is uncanny: the water glows a luminous turquoise-to-cobalt that seems digitally enhanced, while the bleached, drowned trunks of the trees stand in it like a half-erased forest. The exact color shifts hour to hour with the light, the weather, and the season — no two visits look the same. Apple even shipped one of its photos as a Mac wallpaper, quietly making this remote pond globally famous.

Best Time to Visit

Late spring and early summer tend to produce the most intense blue. In winter the pond is illuminated on evenings, glowing against the snow — a completely different, equally striking scene.

Getting There

This is roadside Hokkaido at its best: an easy stop on a Biei driving loop. Come by car, with summer buses as a backup, and string it together with the area’s waterfalls and hot springs.