Kameoka Corner
By Larry Jones
Special to the NewsPress
Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s four main islands lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” at the southwestern edge of the Sea of Okbotsk. With only about 400 miles of sea between it and Siberia, winter temperatures regularly falling to at least -20 degrees Fahrenheit and with 51 volcanoes on an island about half the size of Oklahoma, it’s truly a land of fire and ice. But it’s a land of great natural beauty with dramatic mountain peaks, deep gorges and calderas, and crystal-clear lakes. Through the centuries many of the volcanoes have erupted, some collapsing on themselves after erupting, creating calderas and several of the lakes on Hokkaido are caldera lakes located across the rugged mountainous island. The rest of this article is about the six caldera lakes across Hokkaido starting with Lake Kussharo, the largest and most northern caldera lake in Japan.
The lake which is in Akan Mashu National Park has a surface area of more than 30 square miles and is beautiful in any season. It’s very popular for boating and fishing during the summer, but the water is too cold for swimming since the lake freezes over almost entirely during the winter. However, thermal vents keep a very small area from freezing most winters and this provides a place for whooper swans to spend the…
