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Daisetsuzan NP, Hokkaido
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Taushubetsu’s 130-metre “phantom bridge” has 11 arches—and a lake-controlled disappearing act: rising water submerges it, then winter drawdown reveals the old Shihoro Line crossing again.
Lake Nukabira’s “ice bubbles” are lakebed gas trapped as the surface freezes. As the ice thickens, rising bubbles get caught at different levels, forming stacked chains; snowfall can quickly hide the pattern.
“Mushroom ice” grows from the forest submerged to make this reservoir: winter hydropower drawdown lowers water beneath the frozen surface, leaving ice caps perched on old stumps. The shifting ice can crack and groan.
Lake Nukabira’s name is traced to Ainu Noka-pira, “a cliff with a distinctive shape,” often described as person-like. Hokkaido researchers say the landmark itself now lies beneath the reservoir.
On the lake’s 2025 smelt-fishing opening, one family said they planned to fry their catch as tempura. Anglers’ voluntary contributions also support fish releases and safety work on the ice.
Water-level drawdown can expose ancient shoreline sites: at the Nukabira Lake Shore Site, researchers documented a Zoku-Jōmon pot about 35 cm tall, with a 32 cm-wide mouth. It may have been used for cooking.
The frozen lake doubles as a racecourse: Nukabira’s Ice Time Trial reached its 45th edition in 2024, drawing 101 entries—including competitors who travelled from Kyushu.
Water stored at Nukabira powers five hydroelectric stations, not just one: after the Nukabira plant, it is routed across watersheds and reused at four more stations before reaching Honbetsu.
Forming Lake Nukabira submerged more than the famous bridge: the old Shihoro Line route, original Nukabira Station and old elementary school were covered too. The railway was rerouted to higher ground.
Residents organized to preserve the area’s old railway arches: a local group formed in 1997, Kamishihoro Town acquired the bridge group and track remnants in 1998, and the arches became Hokkaido Heritage in 2001.
An ancient eruption may still affect Lake Nukabira’s water: researchers found tributaries crossing deposits from a roughly 1-million-year-old caldera carry more dissolved phosphorus, possibly contributing to occasional high readings.
