Lake Shikaribetsu Sky Lake & Surreal Underwater Railway Track

Category: Subalpine Lake & Wilderness Sanctuary | Location: Hokkaido

Resting serenely at an elevation of 810 meters in the southern reaches of Daisetsuzan National Park, Lake Shikaribetsu (Shikaribetsu-ko) holds the distinction of being the highest natural lake in Hokkaido. Enclosed by pristine subalpine conifer and birch virgin forests, this jewel is affectionately known as the 'Lake in the Sky' (Tenku no Mizuumi). On calm windless mornings, the mirror-like water reflects the rounded dome of Mount Tenbo so flawlessly that the reflection resembles a pair of smiling lips, earning it the affectionate nickname 'Kuchibiru-yama' (Lip Mountain). In recent years, Lake Shikaribetsu has captured worldwide fascination due to a hauntingly poetic sight: the Underwater Railway Track (Kotei Senro). Originally laid along the shoreline to hoist sightseeing cruise boats out of the freezing water ahead of subarctic winters, the twin steel rails plunge straight into the ultra-clear, turquoise lake depths. The optical illusion of railway tracks vanishing into submerged aquatic tranquility evokes an uncanny resemblance to the iconic sea-train sequence in Studio Ghibli's animated masterpiece Spirited Away. Beyond its visual poetry, Lake Shikaribetsu is a living sanctuary of Ice Age natural relics. Its cold, pristine waters harbor the Miyabe Iwana, an endemic subspecies of Arctic char found nowhere else on earth. The surrounding boulder slopes and scree talus are home to the vocal Ezo Naki-usagi (Hokkaido Pika)—an adorable, round-eared Ice Age relict mammal widely considered the real-life muse for the Pokémon character Pikachu. In deep winter, the solid frozen lake morphs into 'Shikaribetsuko Kotan,' a magical village constructed entirely of ice igloos featuring an open-air thermal onsen bath carved into the ice.