Biei, Hokkaido
Shirogane Blue Pond Back and forth between the pond and my soft serve
I spent the day looking out over blue water, with dead larches still standing in it. Even as I ate my soft serve, I couldn’t take my eyes off the pond. Come along for my summer visit.
A summer visit to take in the blue water and the dead larches still standing in it. I savoured the Blue Pond soft serve one bite at a time, going back and forth between the treat and the view.
SummerSummer by the blue water
One bite, then back to the pond
The moment I spotted the pond from the path, I stopped in my tracks. Trees stood in the water, just like in the photos, except now they were right in front of me. I looked over the water first, then followed the branches with my eyes, unsure where to look next.
I held the Blue Pond soft serve up towards the pond. The soft serve and the water seemed to be the same blue, yet side by side they looked different somehow. I must have looked rather pleased with myself. My friend would have laughed if she’d seen my face.
The first bite tasted of ramune. I was enjoying the sweet treat, but my eyes kept drifting back to the trees in the pond. The soft serve was good, and I wanted more time with the view too. I didn’t have to pick one; I could take my time enjoying both.
Peering between the trunks, I could see more of the pond beyond them. Until then, I’d been focused on the nearest trees; now I was starting to take in just how far the water stretched. I lowered the hand holding my soft serve and simply looked at the view for a while.
After taking a photo, I took another bite. I wanted a picture with both the pond and my soft serve to show my friend. I came for the scenery, but I ended up with plenty of photos of my sweet treat too. Both were part of the day, so that was fine by me.
When I’d finished eating, I looked at the trees and water one more time. I wanted to remember how the blue looked beside my soft serve, and the way the slender branches lined up. When I show my friend the photos, I wonder which I’ll talk about first: the pond or the soft serve.
The story sections are fiction inspired by this location. For accurate information, please consult official tourism and information websites.
Local specialty
Blue Pond soft serve
The Blue Pond soft serve is only available in summer and tastes like ramune. I held the pale-blue treat up beside the pond, took a bite, then looked back at the view. Somehow, even snack time became part of the fun.
Highlights
Dead larches still standing in the water
A line of dead larches still stands in the Blue Pond. I thought I was looking only at the water, but the slender branches caught my eye too, and I found myself tracing them with my eyes.
A pond born from disaster-prevention works
I hear water collected behind an embankment built during disaster-prevention works on Mount Tokachi, forming the pond and giving it its blue hue. Once I learned how the pond came to be, I wanted to take another long look.
Road details
From Biei Station to Shirogane Blue Pond
- By car from Biei Station
- About 20 minutes
- Trip destination
- Shirogane Blue Pond
It’s about a 20-minute drive from JR Biei Station. Make the pond your destination, then take your time looking out over the water and trees when you arrive.
Once I reached the Blue Pond from Biei Station, I wanted to take my time over both the soft serve and the view.
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