Lake Shikaribetsu

Hokkaido's highest-altitude lake at around 810 meters, surrounded by stratovolcanoes and dense forest home to Blakiston's fish owls and Ezo flying squirrels. The lake is the only habitat of the Miyabe char, a fish that evolved in isolation after volcanic activity blocked the river that formed it, adapting to limited food by developing extra gill rakers for plankton feeding. From January to March, the frozen lake hosts Shikaribetsuko Kotan, an annual event since 1980 where volunteers build an ice village of over 30,000 ice blocks including lodges, an ice bar, and open-air baths set directly on the frozen surface.