A Blue-tiful Japanese Pond

In Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s main islands, nature flourishes in the most stunning of conditions. One of the most impressive sites can be found in the town of Biei, where an unusual pond fascinates visitors due to its striking, calm beauty. Its blue colour takes on different shades depending on the season.

Created in 1988, this man-made pond was dug to protect the residents from lava flows from nearby Mount Tokachi. However, the simple pond soon became a tourist attraction thanks to its blue-toned water. Ranging from turquoise to emerald, these unusual colours are not exclusively due to the reflections of the sky on the surface of the water, but also to the aluminium and sulphur hydroxide which whiten the stones in the pond. On top of that, the trees growing in the middle of the pond accentuate the mystical character of the place.

This artificial wonder was popularised thanks to an IT company which used a photo of the pond as the background for its computers, leaving customers stunned when they discovered this water that’s as blue as the sky.