Hokkaido's famous Blue Pond shimmers at annual illumination

The annual winter illumination is underway at Hokkaido's famous "Aoi Ike" Blue Pond, drawing visitors eager to witness the ethereal transformation of the landscape.Tourists flocked to the Instagrammable pond before the lights were switched on at 5 p.m. on Nov. 15, braving the cold as the frozen, snow-dusted surface and the silhouettes of larch trees slowly emerged from the early evening darkness.According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the day's high in the town of Biei reached only 3.4 C.In the bitter evening chill, a roughly 10-minute light show played on repeat, bathing the trees an…READ FULL ARTICLE