The Shiretoko Five Lakes Coloring Pages

Great Nature of a World Heritage Site! The Mysterious "The Shiretoko Five Lakes"

The Shiretoko Five Lakes are five pretty lakes floating quietly in the forest on the Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido. Big mountains and lots of trees surround them. They are part of a very rich natural environment that is registered as a World Natural Heritage site! A long time ago, a volcano nearby erupted. Cold water filled the hollows made by the eruption, and that is how the lakes were created.

Animals and Nature around The Shiretoko Five Lakes

Many rare animals and plants live around The Shiretoko Five Lakes.

• Brown Bears: They are the largest land animals in Japan. Shiretoko is an important home for brown bears.
• Ezo Deer and Ezo Squirrels: You can see them hopping around the forest and eating nuts.
• Shiretoko Mountain Range: These are the big mountains towering behind the lakes. The view of the mountains with white snow left on top is super pretty.
• Quiet Water Surface: The water of The Shiretoko Five Lakes is just like a mirror. You can see beautiful views with the sky, mountains, and trees reflected right on the water.

Two Paths for Exploring Safely

When you walk around The Shiretoko Five Lakes, there are two special paths you can take.

• Elevated Wooden Path: This is a wooden path built high above the ground. It has an electric fence around it, so you do not have to worry about meeting a brown bear. Even people in wheelchairs can safely go all the way to the first lake.
• Ground-level Trail: This path lets you walk right through the forest. During the seasons when brown bears are active, there is a rule that you must walk together with an expert guide.

How to Choose Your Colors

When you color The Shiretoko Five Lakes, try using the rich colors of big nature!

• Lake Water Colors: The lake water looks pretty when you color it with clear blue, emerald green, or deep, dark navy blue. Try coloring the mountain shapes reflected on the water with the same colors you used for the mountains.
• The Shiretoko Mountain Range: For the mountains you see in the back, try using green, brown, and gray colored pencils. If you leave a little white near the tops of the mountains, they will look cool with leftover snow!
• Trees and Forests: It is nice to use deep green for summer, or red, yellow, and orange for autumn to make a colorful fall forest.
• The Elevated Wooden Path: Try coloring it with light brown or beige to show the warmth of the wood.

Let's Show the Bright Colors of Big Nature!

Since it is a wide nature scene, using color gradients (changing how dark or light a color is) will make it look just like the real thing!

• Light and Shadow: Try coloring places where the sun shines with bright yellow or yellow-green. For places in the shade of trees, layer on dark green or blue.
• Sky Colors: You can change the mood right away by coloring a clear, sunny bright light blue or an evening orange.

Try Creative Ideas for the Background

Try drawing a brown bear parent and child, a Yezo sika deer, or a big eagle flying in the sky around the lakes. Adding animals that live in the Shiretoko forest makes your coloring page even more lively and fun!

Tips for Enjoying Your Coloring Page!

It is okay if it is not the same color as real photos! It is super creative and cool to color it as your own imagined "mysterious secret forest" or a "rainbow-shiny lake"!

The Secret of Gushing Water Without Any Rivers

The Shiretoko Five Lakes do not have big rivers flowing in or out. But the lake water never disappears! That is because the rain and snow that fall on the mountains soak into the ground and gush out from the bottom of the lakes as cold spring water.

The Five Lakes Do Not Have Special Names

Actually, each lake in The Shiretoko Five Lakes does not have a cool name. They are simply called "First Lake," "Second Lake," "Third Lake," "Fourth Lake," and "Fifth Lake" in order of their numbers!

Rules for Brown Bears and Humans to Spend Time Safely Together

The Shiretoko Five Lakes are also an important home for brown bears. So when humans go exploring, you listen to a talk or walk with a expert guide. There is a system to follow rules while exploring so you do not scare the brown bears.