Sunayu & Lake Kussharo | Hokkaido's Secret Winter Swan Sanctuary

By Nihongo to Japan · Updated June 17, 2026

Sunayu sits on the shore of Lake Kussharo. Geothermal heat from the lake bottom keeps this section of water from freezing even through Hokkaido's coldest winters, drawing hundreds of whooper swans to overwinter. The swans are almost unafraid of people — close enough to reach out and touch, white enough to seem to glow.

Standing at the shore, the first thing I saw was a field of white.

Not snow. Swans.

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Sunayu sits on the shore of Lake Kussharo. Geothermal heat vents through the lake bottom, keeping this stretch of water from freezing even in Hokkaido's coldest January. Whooper swans migrate here every winter for exactly this reason — a patch of open water that never freezes.

At peak, there can be hundreds of them.

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The swans are almost completely unafraid of people. Walk to the water's edge and they'll turn for a brief glance, then go back to swimming, preening, dipping their heads for food. The closest ones are only two or three steps away. White enough to seem to glow.

Behind them: Mt. Mokoto, snow-covered summit, thin morning mist drifting over the lake. Swans gliding through. Still as a painting.

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Step onto the sandy beach and the sand is warm beneath your feet. Even with temperatures well below freezing, the sand here always holds the heat from the geothermal vents below — which is exactly what gave Sunayu its name: 砂湯, 'sand hot spring.'

Travel Info

Sunayu is on the shore of Lake Kussharo, Teshikaga-cho, Hokkaido. About 20 minutes by car from Lake Mashu's First Observatory — easily combined in the same day. Swans concentrate here from November through March, with the highest numbers on winter mornings. Make sure your rental car has winter tires.

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