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Lake Shikotsu
支笏湖Hokkaido
Japan's northernmost lake that never freezes: a caldera lake 360 m deep, so voluminous that it stays open water through a Hokkaido winter while everything around it ices over. The clarity is the draw — the bottom stays visible far out — and the shore gives views to Mount Eniwa and the Fuppushi–Tarumae cones. In winter the ice on show is built, not formed: the Hyoto Matsuri sprays lake water into sculpture on the shore at Shikotsuko Onsen.
- Best season
- Year-round
- Crowd level
- Moderate
- Rating
- 4.5· 1,721 reviews
- Opening hours
- Daily Open 24 hours
- Admission
- Public national park lakeshore, free per Ministry of the Environment.
Usual hours — confirm with the official site for holidays + seasonal closures.
Today
Open 24 hoursFreeStored weekly hours
Daily Open 24 hours
How to get there
From Sapporo Station · ~1h 3m by car
Tags
naturelake
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