Lake Furen

Spanning Nemuro City and Betsukai Town in Hokkaido, Lake Furen is a brackish lake with a shoreline of Approx. 96 kilometers. Protected as part of the Notsuke-Furen Prefectural Natural Park, where seawater and freshwater mix, it supports a richly varied natural environment. Around the lake are coastal sand dunes, grasslands, wetlands, and forests, where you can see a wide variety of plants such as rugosa roses, Ezosukashiyuri lilies, and Sendaihagi.

It is also known as one of Japan’s leading swan migration sites. From around mid-October in particular, large numbers of whooper swans arrive and turn the lake’s surface white. You can also observe around 330 species of wild birds, including the red-crowned crane, a Special Natural Monument.

On the eastern side of the lake is Shunkunitai, home to a valuable pure forest of Akaezomatsu spruce. Together with Lake Furen, it is designated as a Ramsar wetland. If you want to learn more about the plants and animals that can be observed at Lake Furen and Shunkunitai, a visit to the Nemuro City Shunkunitai Wild Bird Nature Center right by the lake is recommended.