9 metres deep and clear to the bottom: nothing but spring water over pale rock.
The small lake, only 9 metres deep and 125 metres round, stays clear to the bottom because it is fed by spring water alone, without the mud that clouds the nearby ponds. The bed of pale volcanic rock reflects light at every wavelength, so the water (which by its very nature absorbs red and scatters blue) comes out an intense ink blue, darker in summer and in winter, brighter between April and June. It is one of the thirty-three lakes of the Twelve Lakes group (Juniko), on the edge of the Shirakami-Sanchi World Heritage Site, inside Tsugaru Quasi-National Park.
Small lake in the Twelve Lakes group (十二湖), thirty-three bodies of water surrounded by beech forest, on the western side of Shirakami-Sanchi, in the municipality of Fukaura.
ℹ️ Public trail, free and always accessible, open all year except in snow; the classic walk round the lakes takes 1 to 3 hours depending on the route you choose. Starting point at the ‘Mori no Buppōkan Kyororo’ visitor centre, with a car park. By train, JR Gonō-sen to Jūniko, then Kōnan bus 15 minutes to ‘Oku-Jūniko’ and 10 minutes’ walk; by car, an hour from the Noshiro-Minami interchange.
🚉 奥十二湖駐車場 · 6 min walk
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