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Shikotsu-Tōya NP., Hokkaido
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Japan’s northernmost nonfreezing lake has frozen from shore to shore—recorded in 1953, 1978 and 2001. Only a rare mix of prolonged cold, snowfall and calm can chill its enormous, deep waters enough.
Lake Shikotsu’s summer “chip” is kokanee, a landlocked sockeye introduced from Lake Akan in 1894. Its nickname traces to Ainu kapa-chep (“thin fish”); locals serve this seasonal specialty grilled or as sashimi.
Shikotsu preserves the region’s older Ainu-derived name. In 1805, officials renamed the Shikotsu River “Chitose,” inspired by local cranes and the saying “cranes live 1,000 years”; the lake kept the old name.
Local hotels, innkeepers, boat captains and city staff launched the ice festival in 1979 to bring winter visitors back to a quiet shore. Sculptures made from lake water glow blue by day and under night lights.
A sightseeing boat’s underwater windows reveal cliffs below the clear water: Lake Shikotsu’s underwater walls include columnar joints, upright cracks formed as volcanic rock cooled and contracted.
About 40,000 years ago, a huge eruption formed the Shikotsu Caldera; its pyroclastic flows traveled more than 20 km, reaching southern Sapporo. The lake’s basin began with an explosive volcanic collapse.
The red Yamasen Bridge by the lake was built in 1899 as the First Sorachi Bridge on Hokkaido’s government railway. Relocated to the lakeshore in 1923, it later carried Oji Paper’s railway line.
The lake’s famous blue has an unexpected helper: its nutrient-poor water supports little plankton, so there is less to cloud the view. Chitose’s official tourism site says the lake has topped national lake-water-quality rankings 20 times.
Lake Shikotsu’s outlet, the Chitose River, powered 5 Oji Paper hydro plants built from 1910 to 1941 for its Tomakomai paper mill; the same water also supplied electricity to the lakeside town.
Lake Shikotsu’s spring-fed hatchery has raised and released kokanee for more than 120 years. Its fishery cooperative now also sends fertilized eggs to lakes across eastern Japan, making the lake a fish source for other communities.
