Blue Pond Biei on the island of Hokkaido, Japan (24 photos). Blue pond on Hokkaido island, Japan Blue lake Japan

Hokkaido- the second largest island of Japan. About 10% of the island's area is occupied by more than 20 national parks, making it a recognized active center of the country. The amazing blue pond can be found 2.5 kilometers northwest of Platinum Hot Springs at the foot of Mount Tokachi, the pond is located on the left bank of the Bieigoa River, southeast of the city of Biei in Hokkaido. Blue Pond(Blue Pond) got its name because of the bright blue hue of the water, with many wooden pillars visible above the surface of the water.
(13 photos of an amazing blue pond)

Trees grow in the center of the Blue Pond, and therefore it seems that this place is enchanted. However, there was no magic here. Moreover, this place is very popular among tourists.

Scientists don't know what makes the pond's aquamarine-colored water, but one possible explanation is that there are rich deposits of aluminum near the river that feeds into the pond. Microscopic particles can fall to the bottom of the pond and reflect rays of light during the day, illuminating the water.

The picturesque town of Biei has been a popular tourist destination for many years, but the Blue Pond became a global attraction after Apple included a photo of it in its new Mountain Lion operating system.

Blue Pond Biei(Blue Pond Biei) is a small body of water located on the left bank of the Bieigoa River on the second largest island of Japan - Hokkaido. It lies at the very foot of Mount Tokachi, southeast of the picturesque town of Biei. Just 2.5 km away in the northwest are the Platinum Hot Springs.
The pond got its name for a reason - its water really has a rich, bright blue color, and it also has the ability to change its hue under certain conditions.

The history of the formation of the Blue Pond began in December 1988, immediately after the eruption of the Tokachi volcano. Then, in order to prevent a disaster and protect the area from the spread of mudflows that could descend from the volcano during subsequent eruptions, the regional development bureau decided to build a dam. Construction of the dam was completed in June 1989. The water blocked by the concrete structure was retained in the forest, resulting in the formation of a reservoir with an incredibly beautiful color of water.

Gradually, the Blue Pond became increasingly famous; its fame was actively passed on from mouth to mouth over the past few years. And today, 24 years after its inception, it has become one of the most popular natural attractions in Japan, favored by a huge number of tourists.

Many studies have been carried out on the composition of the Blue Pond water, but the phenomenon of its unusual color has not yet been discovered. According to one assumption, this phenomenon is associated with the mixing of water coming from hot springs with river water saturated with aluminum hydroxide. As a result, a kind of “cocktail” is formed, reflecting sunlight in the same way as the Earth’s atmosphere does, which gives the reservoir a turquoise-blue color. The process of water renewal in the pond occurs continuously. It is interesting that when observing the reservoir from different angles and at different times of the day, you can see the play of a wide variety of shades of blue: from deep blue to light turquoise. And the soaring columns of dried birches and larches standing in the center of the reservoir give the local landscape a special charm.

The Blue Pond becomes most beautiful with the arrival of the first cold weather, when a thin crust of ice appears on its surface, which is then sprinkled with the first snow, making it look like a still from some science fiction film about distant planets. A photograph of just such a landscape gave the pond global popularity. This happened a year ago, in 2012, when Apple included a photo of the Blue Pond in the new OS X Mountain Lion operating system. This shot was taken by a resident of the city of Biei, photographer Kent Shiraishi, at the end of October, when the first snow began to swirl over the reservoir. National Geographic gave this photo the title "Blue Pond and First Snow." Today, many tourists and photographers come here to see this miracle with their own eyes and capture it with their cameras.

To get to the Blue Pond, you first need to go to Tokyo, from where you go to the Biei train station, where you can take the shuttle bus, which will take you to a stop in 15 minutes, located just a 10-minute walk from the pond. For those who come by their own transport, there is free parking nearby. Since the area of ​​the pond is quite small, a walk around it will only take about 30 minutes.

The small Biei reservoir, known throughout Japan for the amazing blue color of its water, accidentally appeared on the left bank of the Bieigoa River (Hokkaido Island) when work on the construction of a dam was carried out here in the late eighties of the 20th century.

It was necessary to block the mudflow released during the eruption of the Tokachi volcano. The pond, located directly at the foot of the flammable mountain, still puzzles scientists who cannot explain the mystery of its unusual aquamarine color.

According to one version, the purest turquoise color of Biei is due to the Platinum hot springs located two and a half kilometers (towards the northwest); on the other, large deposits of aluminum, whose hydroxide gives the water a unique brightness and richness.

Depending on weather conditions or the observation point, the hue of Biei Pond also changes, ranging from deep blue to pale turquoise. Dried birches and larches protruding from the center of the reservoir give Biei a truly fabulous look. In winter, the pond is covered with a thin ice crust and looks even more charming than in summer.

You can get to the Blue Pond on your own. To do this, you need to take a train on the Tokyo-Biei route, then take a bus or rent a car. From the city of Biei, the blue landmark is only a fifteen-minute drive plus a ten-minute walk from the bus stop. There is free parking for cars next to the pond. Biei itself can be walked around in half an hour.

Blue Pond in Biei Hokkaido - VIDEO

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Blue Pond Biei - PHOTO

Among the colored reservoirs that surprise people with their unusual shade of water is a small pond located on Japanese island Hokkaido. It is filled with deep blue water. This is not the natural shade that arises from the reflection of the azure sky. It is a rich color that gives the impression that the pond has been painted over. Interestingly, such suspicions were expressed in relation to the blue pond on the island of Hokkaido!

The authors of some publications dedicated to this pond wrote that the pond is being painted in order to attract tourists. But there is also a natural explanation for the unusual shade. The Blue Pond is located near the city of Biye, 2.5 km from another natural attraction of the island of Hokkaido - the Platinum hot springs, flowing at the foot of Mount Tokachi. The pond is fed by the waters of these springs, saturated with aluminum salts. This hydroxide creates a special effect of refraction of sunlight in water, enhancing the reflection of blue waves of the light spectrum, which makes the color of water bright turquoise.

The color of the water in the Blue Pond on the island of Hokkaido changes depending on the viewing angle, weather and time of day. The color varies within the turquoise palette, that is, the blue of the waters has either a light or a stronger admixture of greenish tones.

Due to the saturation of aluminum salts, the transparency of the water is low, and many photographers try to emphasize this effect. Sometimes it seems as if the pond is filled with thick oil paint. This effect is emphasized by the trunks of dried trees in the water near the shore.

Interesting visual effects are observed here in the cold season, when the pond is covered with ice, and everything around - trees, mountain slopes - is silver from frost or snow. However, many believe that the blue color of the pond looks most contrasting in the fall, against the background of yellow forest foliage.

It is interesting that this natural attraction appeared on the island relatively recently - after the eruption of the Tokachi volcano in 1989. Strictly speaking, this interesting body of water is the result of the joint actions of nature and man. The dam, built by the Japanese to protect against lava flows and mudflows that poured from the mountain after the eruption, led to the formation of a pond (this is a pond, not a lake). That is why flooded trees can be lined up in several rows near the shore. But the unusual blue color of the water is still the result of natural processes.

Blue Pond Biei(Blue Pond Biei) is a small body of water located on the left bank of the Bieigoa River on the second largest island of Japan - Hokkaido. It lies at the very foot of Mount Tokachi, southeast of the picturesque town of Biei. Just 2.5 km away in the northwest are the Platinum Hot Springs.
The pond got its name for a reason - its water really has a rich, bright blue color, and it also has the ability to change its hue under certain conditions.

The history of the formation of the Blue Pond began in December 1988, immediately after the eruption of the Tokachi volcano. Then, in order to prevent a disaster and protect the area from the spread of mudflows that could descend from the volcano during subsequent eruptions, the regional development bureau decided to build a dam. Construction of the dam was completed in June 1989. The water blocked by the concrete structure was retained in the forest, resulting in the formation of a reservoir with an incredibly beautiful color of water.

Gradually, the Blue Pond became increasingly famous; its fame was actively passed on from mouth to mouth over the past few years. And today, 24 years after its inception, it has become one of the most popular natural attractions in Japan, favored by a huge number of tourists.

Many studies have been carried out on the composition of the Blue Pond water, but the phenomenon of its unusual color has not yet been discovered. According to one assumption, this phenomenon is associated with the mixing of water coming from hot springs with river water saturated with aluminum hydroxide. As a result, a kind of “cocktail” is formed, reflecting sunlight in the same way as the Earth’s atmosphere does, which gives the reservoir a turquoise-blue color. The process of water renewal in the pond occurs continuously. It is interesting that when observing the reservoir from different angles and at different times of the day, you can see the play of a wide variety of shades of blue: from deep blue to light turquoise. And the soaring columns of dried birches and larches standing in the center of the reservoir give the local landscape a special charm.

The Blue Pond becomes most beautiful with the arrival of the first cold weather, when a thin crust of ice appears on its surface, which is then sprinkled with the first snow, making it look like a scene from some science fiction film about distant planets. A photograph of just such a landscape gave the pond global popularity. This happened a year ago, in 2012, when Apple included a photo of the Blue Pond in the new OS X Mountain Lion operating system. This shot was taken by a resident of the city of Biei, photographer Kent Shiraishi, at the end of October, when the first snow began to swirl over the reservoir. National Geographic gave this photo the title "Blue Pond and First Snow." Today, many tourists and photographers come here to see this miracle with their own eyes and capture it with their cameras.

To get to the Blue Pond, you first need to get to Tokyo, from where you go to the Biei train station, where you can take a shuttle bus that takes 15 minutes to a stop located just a 10-minute walk from the pond. For those who come by their own transport, there is free parking nearby. Since the area of ​​the pond is quite small, a walk around it will only take about 30 minutes.