March 29, 2016

A marimo (moss ball) is a species of green algae found mostly in a number of lakes in the northern hemisphere. They are also referred to as Cladophora balls or Lake balls. They are super-soft and velvety to the touch and are found under the waters of Lake Akan.

There is a major event in Hokkaido which is a unique festival featuring marimo. The marimo festival is a three-day festival led by the local Ainu people that is held every October where it aims to address the concern of the marimo’s survival in order to awaken the people’s love for the species.

In Hokkaido’s native Ainu language they are called torasampe (lake goblin) and tokarip (lake roller).

You can read more about marimo here! ~ x