BIEI, Hokkaido (Kyodo) — The annual winter illumination is underway at Hokkaido’s famous “Aoi Ike” Blue Pond, drawing visitors eager to witness the ethereal transformation of the landscape.
Tourists flocked to the Instagrammable pond before the lights were switched on at 5 p.m. on Nov. 15, braving the cold as the frozen, snow-dusted surface and the silhouettes of larch trees slowly emerged from the early evening darkness.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the day’s high in the town of Biei reached only 3.4 C.
In the bitter evening chill, a roughly 10-minute light show played on repeat, bathing the trees and ice in changing intensities of white and blue from 13 lighting points arranged around the pond.
“Nature and artificial elements are harmonized so beautifully,” said Mitsuko Haratani, who came from Akaiwa in western Japan’s Okayama Prefecture.
The pond, which rests in the mountainous countryside of Biei, takes its name from its rich blue color that came about accidentally following work carried out on the Biei River to control mudslides after the 1988 eruption of Mt. Tokachi.
Its distinctive hue, according to the town, is caused by light reflecting off aluminum components in the water. This year’s illumination started on Oct. 24 and runs daily through April 22, 2026, with viewing hours in November set from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
AloJapan.com