Onuma Quasi-National Park in winter feels as if the snow has gently pressed the mute button. Here in southern Hokkaido, the lake is covered in a layer of pristine ice and snow, while Mount Komagatake in the distance is draped in silvery-white peaks. The lake and mountain scenery is less lively than in summer, but it has a breathtaking tranquility instead.
Walking along the lakeshore, I stepped through soft snow, hearing only the faint crunch of footsteps and feeling the frigid air blowing toward me. Small islands of various sizes are connected by wooden bridges, and the winter snow outlines the bridges, treetops, and shoreline like a natural watercolor painting. Every so often, I looked up at Mount Komagatake. The magnificent mountain scenery set against the pure white snowfield made me stop and quietly admire the beautiful view before me.
Onuma Quasi-National Park in winter may not have the colorful cherry blossoms of spring, greenery of summer, or maple leaves of fall, but its unique snow-country charm reveals Hokkaido at its purest. A walk along the lakeshore in the cold wind lets you feel more than just the chill of the ice and snow—it also brings a sense of ease, far from the noise of the city and close to nature.
If winter in Hokkaido is a journey in white, then Onuma Quasi-National Park is one of its most memorable pages.










