Hokkaido's Blue Pond decided to play hard to get. We didn't make it. This geological prankster, born from an erosion control system, sits in Shirogane Onsen like a blue-hued middle finger to our travel plans.

Originally engineered to prevent volcanic mudflows, Aoiike has transcended its practical origins to become a tourism siren. Its deep blue waters reflect a kind of natural perfection that doesn't care whether we showed up or not. Visitors snap magical photos while we scroll through our missed connections, imagining the serene beauty that continues to exist, blissfully unaware of our travel FOMO.