Story
Story 02
A world enveloped in snow and ice,
where nature, animals,
and humans coexist.
Lake Akan, enveloped in a silver silence.
Even amidst the freezing season,
nature, animals, and humans coexist, sustaining life together.
In the fantastical landscape woven from ice and snow,
the story of coexistence quietly,
yet surely, breathes.
The Winter Poem Spoken by Ice
In the early morning of severe cold, it blooms only at the moment the lake breathes
- The ice flowers of Lake Akan.
Before dawn, Lake Akan is enveloped in a veil of silence. Due to radiative cooling, the temperature drops to nearly minus 20 degrees Celsius, and from the lake surface, which has not yet completely frozen, faint water vapor rises. In that moment, moisture in the air freezes, descending to the lake surface as petals resembling snowflakes. This phenomenon is the frost flowers, a field of ice that appears on Lake Akan.
For this phenomenon to occur, a unique difference in water temperature layers typical of volcanic caldera lakes, a windless night, and a precise balance of humidity and temperature must all come together as miraculous conditions. It cannot be encountered merely in places that experience cold winters. Lake Akan is a rare "stage for ice flowers" in the country that fulfills all of these criteria.
However, the frost flower gently melts with the sunrise, disappearing as if it never existed at all. This is why people stay awake through the night, waiting for that moment while attuned to the heartbeat of the lake. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that one will encounter it on just any given morning. Yet, it is precisely for this reason that many travelers choose to remain in this place, embarking on the journey of welcoming the morning with Lake Akan.
A journey to encounter the ice flowers is not a journey to witness phenomena, but rather a journey imbued with a quiet resolve to live within the same flow of time as nature.
Guided Tour of the Ice Flowers of Lake Akan
Akan Lake Ice Art and Ice Trekking
Guide Company: Tsuruga Adventure Base SIRI
Smelt Fishing
- A small light of winter that breathes beneath the ice
As the lake completely freezes over, Lake Akan's winter begins to reveal another face. Colorful little tents line the white plains, from which steam and laughter rise. This is the world of ice fishing, a beloved winter pastime for the people of the northern regions. A small hole is drilled in the ice, and a line is quietly lowered as one waits patiently. If you listen closely, you can almost hear the heartbeat of the lake sleeping beneath the snow. Soon, the fishing rod trembles slightly, and a silver fish glimmers in the sunlight as it jumps. In that moment, the tent fills with cheers and smiles. The freshly caught smelt is prepared as tempura right on the spot, enveloping everyone in the fragrant steam of hot food in the sub-zero world.
That warmth is the greatest reward that winter at Lake Akan offers to people. However, behind this tranquil scene lies the wisdom of the people who live alongside the lake. They assess the thickness of the ice, manage the number of holes, and ensure that the natural rhythm is not disturbed. This fishing spot is not only a place for enjoyment but also a place to live in harmony with nature. Ice fishing for smelt is a moment to connect with the life beneath the ice and to reaffirm the bond between nature and humanity amidst the winter's silence. It is a warm winter culture that the people of Lake Akan have preserved for generations.
Lake Akan Whitefish Fishing Experience
Smelt Fishing Tour
Guide Company: Lake Akan Tourism Association Community Development Promotion Organization
Winter at Lake Akan's Primeval Forest
- In the silence, life breathes.
The primordial forest enveloping Lake Akan. In winter, this forest is shrouded in a silvery stillness, as if all sound has frozen into silence. Crossing the ice of the lake, I stand at the entrance of the forest. The moment I step inside, the sounds of the world fade away, replaced only by the rhythm of my heartbeat and the crunch of snow beneath my feet. Guided by a leader, I leave my footprints one by one in the snowshoes. On the pristine white surface, there are the tracks of Ezo deer, the footprints of the northern fox, and the small impressions left by a leaping squirrel. The stories of the winter forest's inhabitants are being inscribed.
The trees sway slightly in the wind, and the snow on the branches sparkles in the sunlight. In the cold air, the forest seems to breathe quietly. The guide stops and gently says, "When we enter this forest, let us not forget that we are guests." In this forest, humans are not the main characters. To see, to feel, and to listen—these are the only practices necessary to coexist with the forest. For over a thousand years, the trees have embraced the snow and continued to wait for spring. The primeval forest of Lake Akan teaches us the power of living in stillness. And when one leaves this forest, the weight of the words "to live in harmony with nature" is quietly etched deep within the heart.
Winter's Lake Akan Guided Tour around the Primeval Forest
Invitation to the Enchanted Forest (Forest of Light) Premium Tour
Guide Company: Tsuruga Adventure Base SIRI
Early winter and late winter, a lake where water and ice alternately breathe
- The miracle of Onneto
In early winter, the remnants of autumn foliage faintly blur along the mountainside, as the chill of night intensifies. Due to radiative cooling, the surface of Lake Onneto is covered each night with a thin layer of ice. However, as the sun rises, the ice quietly cracks and returns to the water once more. Caught between the "lake that is about to freeze" and the "water melting into light," the lake surface shimmers in shades of blue, green, purple, and milky white, beginning to change colors as if it were breathing.
Eventually, in midwinter, it is sealed by thick ice, and the lake falls into a deep slumber.
However, in late winter, the ice begins to soften once again, quietly melting while absorbing light. In that fleeting moment when water and ice coexist, the differences in temperature create intricate shades of color, and a second miracle graces the surface of the lake.
The forest has not yet budded, and the wind remains silent. Yet the lake, swaying between freezing and thawing, changes its colors along the boundary of the seasons.
The miracle of Onneto is not the seasons themselves, but rather a story of water and ice that only appears in the "between the seasons."
Guided Tour Around Lake Onneto
Onneto Hiking
Guide Company: Tsuruga Adventure Base SIRI
Ainu Culture and Winter Wisdom
- The Spirit of Living with Ice
The winter in Akan envelops everything in white. The forests and lakes fall silent, and even the sound of the wind fades away during this season. Within that silence, the wisdom of the Ainu people continues to thrive. The crackling flames of the campfire make a sound, and from the huts of Ainu Kotan illuminated by the snowlight, the voice of the storyteller resonates. It is the memory of the people who have lived in this land for thousands of years. "Ice is cold, yet it is a fabric that protects life. Snow is white, yet it is a mother that nurtures all. We are sustained by nature."
Listening to Mr. Akihara's words, one can see behind the harshness of winter the presence of kindness and wisdom. The sound of footsteps crossing the ice, the ingenuity of melting snow to obtain water, and the prayers offered after capturing animals—all of these are promises for living in harmony with nature. As they gather around the fire, travelers realize that walking through the icy forest and breathing on the snow are, in themselves, encounters with the philosophy of this land. The winter of Lake Akan is not merely beautiful; it is a testament to a spirit that lives in harmony with nature, quietly and undeniably thriving even now.
A guided tour to experience Ainu culture
Ainu Culture Guide "Anytime, Ainutime!"
Guide Company: Ainu Culture Guide "Anytime, Ainutime!"
The winter landscape of Lake Akan is not merely a tourist destination.
It is a stage where miraculous scenery, humanity, nature, and culture resonate quietly with one another.
It gently conveys to visitors the essence of living within nature, speaking softly in the crisp air.
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Your exclusive stay at Lake Akan,
designing experiences and cuisine.
The spirit of regeneration symbolized by the marimo, the sentiments of the people living by Lake Akan, the stories woven by the changing seasons, and even the local food culture—all of these will become a part of your journey. While experiencing the natural beauty, culture, and seasonal rhythms of Lake Akan, you can create your own custom-made Lake Akan STORY.
