The second deepest and clearest lake in Japan, Lake Shikotsu is about an hour’s travel from Sapporo and is known for never freezing over despite being so far north. Pleasure cruises are available from the shore, and there are other sites to explore in the same national park such as the Yacho-no-Mori bird sanctuary. The Lake Shikotsu Koyo Festival and Ice Festival are also very much worth seeing and many of the restaurants offer dishes made from authentic local ingredients such as red salmon to enjoy.
Lake Shikotsu
