Episode 236 - Mysterious Water

Lake No. 1

Lake No. 2

Lake No. 3

Lake No. 4

Lake No. 5

The above photos were taken at the Shiretoko Goko Lakes earlier this month.

The Shiretoko Goko Lakes comprise of five small lakes mysteriously located in the midst of primeval forests at the eastern tip of Hokkaido, Japan.  The Shiretoko Mountain Range forms an artistic backdrop to the lakes.  This area is the habitat of many wild animals, including brown bears and deer.

Our scheduled visiting day was within the Bear Aware Season for the lakes district.  During this season, visitors are not allowed to enter the trails leading to the five lakes unless accompany with and lead by a registered guide.  The size of a tour group and the commencement and completion time of each walking journey are strictly regulated.   Visitors without making prior arrangement with a registered guide can only take a walk on an elevated walking path which leads to Lake No. 1 only.  We wished to see all five lakes so we made a booking with one of the registered guides.

The weather in Shiretoko is not stable.  I was worried by the various weather forecasts in respect of the district, which forecasts change their predictions nearly every day!  It would certainly not be satisfactory if the weather turns out to be bad on the day of a booked tour.

As you can see from the photos above, the weather turned out to be fine and, many thanks to the experienced registered guide, we had a big day in this Hokkaido journey.