Aoi Ike and the blue water of Biei
Published on 08/30/2026 at 14:44 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Aoi Ike in Biei is a man-made pond in Hokkaido, Japan, known for blue water and pale tree trunks. The English name that appears in travel use is Blue Pond, and the Japanese name is ???, Aoi-ike.
A pond of colour and bare trunks
The water gives Aoi Ike its strongest feature: a clear blue surface that shifts in tone under changing light. Dead birch trunks stand in and around the pond, giving the place a sparse, stark outline.
The pond sits in the Shirogane area of Biei Town in Kamikawa District. It lies beside the Biei River and near prefectural road 966, with Biei Station serving as the main rail reference point.
Blue Pond, Aoi-ike, and Biei
The site is closely tied to the name of Biei itself, because the pond is identified with the town in both English and Japanese use. Its setting in Hokkaido places it within a landscape of forests, river corridors, and volcanic terrain.
Blue Pond (Biei) and the Japanese form Aoi-ike are both used for the same place. prefectural road 966 runs past the pond in the Shirogane area.
Man-made water in a mountain landscape
Aoi Ike belongs to a group of places in Hokkaido where water, forest and volcanic land meet in a small frame. Its man-made character gives it a different feel from a natural lake: the trees are part of the picture, but so is the engineered edge of the water.
The pond has also become a recognisable stop in Biei because its surface reads as a strong block of colour against the surrounding wood. Shirogane, Biei is the usual place name for the area around it, and Shirogane, Biei-cho is the form used in Japanese travel material.
Visiting Aoi Ike: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The pond lies in Shirogane, south-east of central Biei. Road access is via prefectural road 966, and rail travellers usually use Biei Station as the base point.
- The site is set in a wooded area with a short approach from the road. The ground around the pond is level rather than mountainous, but the setting remains an outdoor woodland landscape.
- English-language travel material refers to the area as Shirogane Aoi Ike or Blue Pond. The name Aoi Ike is the one most directly tied to the pond itself.
Searching for Aoi Ike on social platforms
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Frequently asked questions about Aoi Ike
Where is Aoi Ike?
Aoi Ike is in the Shirogane area of Biei, in Hokkaido’s Kamikawa District. It sits beside the Biei River in northern Japan.
What does a visit involve?
The pond is reached from the road in a wooded setting, with Biei Station as the usual rail reference point. The experience centres on the water, the trunks and the forest edge.
What makes Aoi Ike distinctive?
Its blue water and pale standing trunks give the pond a direct visual identity. The name Aoi Ike, meaning blue pond, matches that appearance.
