Biei Blue Pond: Complete Visitor's Guide from Furano

Why It Is That Colour

The Blue Pond was not built to be looked at. It formed behind erosion-control dams put in to protect Biei from volcanic mudflows, and the flooded trees still standing in it are the ones that were there before the water arrived.

The colour comes from mineral particles suspended in the water — aluminium compounds carried in from upstream — which scatter light towards the blue end. It is genuinely that colour rather than a trick of photography, though it does shift with the light and the weather, and a flat grey day will not look like the postcards.

When to Go

Summer gives the strongest contrast, with the turquoise set against green. Autumn is quieter. In winter the pond is lit in the evenings — the illumination is run by the town and the dates move from year to year, so check locally before making a special trip for it.

Early morning is the calmest water and the best reflections, at any time of year. Later in the day the surface picks up wind and the mirror effect goes.

Getting There, and Getting Back

The pond is north of the Furano valley, past Biei. Public transport is limited and seasonal, so most visitors drive. We would rather not quote you a journey time we have not driven ourselves — check it on the day, and in winter allow noticeably longer than the map says, because the roads are snow-covered for months.

What we can tell you is our own end of it: from Biei down to us in Nakafurano is around thirty minutes by car in winter conditions. If you are heading back south towards Furano after the pond, we are roughly on the way, with free parking.

Eating on the Way

A day trip north tends to end cold and late, which is the point at which soup curry earns its reputation. We open 11:00 to 15:00 and 17:00 to 21:00, Tuesday to Sunday, and close on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. The number is 0167-44-2444.

Frequently Asked Questions