Is The Shirogane Blue Pond Day Trip From Sapporo Worth It?
We live in Sapporo and we recently went on a 5 day RV road trip across Eastern Hokkaido, and on the way back we went to the Blue Pond in Biei, something that was definitely a bucket list visit for us in Hokkaido.
You’ve probably been lured in by the beauty of its aqua waters on social media and are wondering if it lives up to expectations, but it really is such a beautiful place. It’s also only 2 hours by car from Sapporo and there are lots of day tours that will usually tie Biei in with a trip to the area of Furano.
But if you only have a few limited days in the Sapporo area, is it really worth seeing? YES, seeing the Blue Pond is definitely worth it, but timing it right is really important as the blue pond looks different throughout the year.
Here’s everything you need to know about it, including the best times to visit, what to expect (and the best things to try on the menu!).
Shirogane Blue Pond Day Trip From Sapporo
The Shirogane Blue Pond is best to visit on a sunny day (more about that below), it’s actually completely free to view which surprised us, but if you’re coming by car it just costs ¥500 yen to park up. Also, it’s dog friendly!
It’s less than a 5 minute walk from the car park up to the blue pond, and as you walk up you’ll see a little hut selling blue pond snacks and drinks on the left, and further round to the right you can enter the blue pond.
You can walk around one side of the lake on both sides so you can get up close to take photos and take in the beauty of the blue pond. There isn’t a lot to do here except to see the blue pond, but there are some benches around the food stand so you can stay for longer if you want to.
Most coach tours will have a set time that you can spend by the lake, but 30 minutes is ample time to see it all properly.
I knew they did a special blue pond soft serve at Biei, but I was not prepared for just how many blue themed items they had on the menu! Everything is fairly reasonable from a price point of view, considering it’s a very touristy attraction.
I had to get the iconic soda soft cream which tasted like blueberry sorbet, it came with a little oat biscuit and was absolutely delicious, especially on a hot day. The blue pond macarons make a lovely gift, but if you’re travelling by car you can get blue pond souvenirs in the Michi-no-ekis in the surrounding area too, and there’s more choice of things that are packaged up beautifully there.
If you want to take any of the treats away with you, you can pay extra for little ice packs too to keep them cool.
Best Time of Year To Visit The Blue Pond
June and July on a sunny day are said to be the best times to see the blue pond at its most vivid blue colour. We visited at the beginning of June and can vouch for the fact that it was absolutely what we imagined it to look like, and it was beautiful!
I have seen some people visit during winter where it’s looked fairly dull, so just be mindful that it might not leave up to your expectations if you visit outside of the summer.
It’s one of the most touristy hot spots in Hokkaido as well, and with many coach tours arriving daily, it gets very busy! If you are driving by car, get there for opening to avoid the crowds, or head there towards the end of the day as the coaches usually arrive around lunchtime.
Having said that, whilst it can be incredibly busy, you can always grab a spot by the Blue Pond for plenty of photos. You don’t need a large amount of time here really, 30 minutes is ample enough time to see it, take photos and grab something to eat from the little stand.
The Blue Pond was one of our highlights from our RV trip and we timed it so well, it’s definitely worth a visit during the summer months on a sunny day!
There are lots of other day trips from Sapporo that are worth considering if you’re spending a week or longer in Sapporo, Lake Toya and Jozankei are a couple of our favourites!
