佐呂間湖 / Lake Saroma

佐呂間湖是連結鄂霍次克海的潟湖，橫跨北見市、佐呂間町、湧別町。繼琵琶湖和霞之浦為日本第三大湖，是日本最大的潟湖。名稱的由來為阿依努語的SARU・OMA・PETSU（蘆葦生長的河川）。除了盛行養殖扇貝和牡蠣，也可以捕獲到北海島蝦。也有許多遺跡顯示在紀元前就已經有人生活在這裡。

Lake Saroma, connected to the Sea of Okhotsk, is the biggest brackish-water lake in Japan. Given its connection to the sea, the salinity of the water in the lake is almost the same as the sea. This lake belongs to Kitami City, Saroma Town, and Yubetsu Town. It’s the third biggest lake in Japan, after Lakes Biwa and Kasumigaura. In Ainu language, Saroma means a river with reeds, Saru Oma Petsu. Farming of scallops and oysters in the lake is ongoing and Hokkai Shimaebi prawns are caught. There are some remains such as shell mounds or houses which show us that ancient people lived here even before Christ. The annual 100km Lake Saroma ultramarathon is an annual highlight of the area.