Biei Shirogane Blue Pond
Another one of Japan’s mysteries formed in or around a hot spring town, the Blue Pond’s water contains sulfur and aluminum from the rivers that feed it. Yet, what makes it blue isn’t the minerals themselves, it is the way the light refracts against those minerals and our eye catches the color. This difference between the human eye, and a camera’s sensor was fascinating.
The pond itself is gorgeous, the result of a dam project that backed up into this marsh with some dead trees. It’s extremely scenic and picturesque, especially when caught at sunset. However, being very still water, it was highly reflective. The actual color of the pond was more aqua-marine, and less sky blue, the camera kept picking up the mirror image above. After lots of trying, lots of different angles, and a few adjustments back home, I finally got a result that felt true to life. Even then, this is one tourist spot that I recommend visiting for yourself. It doesn’t take long - there is almost zero walking from the parking lot to the pond itself - but it was a nice memory and worth the drive out to Biei from Sapporo.
Shot on August 16, 2024 - Travel, Japan
