Lake Toya and Showa Shinzan can be found in the Shikotsu-Toya National Park. The park is named after the Shikotsu Lake and Toya Lake, and both of them are caldera lakes, lakes which were formed from the collapse of earth after volcanic activity. On the other hand, Showa Shinzan is a mountain formed after volcanic eruption.
About Mt Showa Shinzan, Hokkaido
The Showa Shinzan is a lava mountain as tall as 406.9m as of year 1945. It used to be smaller, but after a series of eruptions over the years it grew to such a magnificent height! Even now you can see smoke rising from the mountains at a close distance.
Showa Shinzan Ropeway
The best spot to have a view of this amazing mountain is from the top of Mount Usu. You can even have a wide view of the National Park or the Pacific sea from the spot as well if the skies are clear.
Take the Usuzan Ropeway up the mountain for a spectacular view!
Spot information
- Spot name: Mt Showa Shinzan, Hokkaido (Usuzan Ropeway)
- Street address: 184-5 Shōwashinzan, Sōbetsu-chō, Usu-gun, Hokkaidō 052-0102
- Access: Take a car or taxi from Toyako Onsen or take a bus. Either way, you will need around 10-15 minutes to reach the Usuzan Ropeway.
Lake Toya
As part of the Toya Caldera and Usu Volcano Global Geopark, Lake Toya is a place with many natural sceneries. There are many ways to enjoy the beauty of the lake from the National Park. For example, there are leisure boats and watersports activities hosted nearby.
The lake was also chosen as the location for a recent G8 meeting where many leaders of the world's 8 major democratic countries converged at the Windsor Hotel Toya Resort & Spa.
A funny tidbit about the Lake is that for those who know watch the Gintama anime, the name of the lake （洞爺湖） is carved on Gintoki’s bokuto, which is also known as a wooden practice sword. The name of the lake is also mentioned one of the Gintama manga (specifically Gintama Volume 19 Chapter 150, according to a user on Chiebukuro).
Spot information
- Spot name: Lake Toya
- Street address: 29, Toya-ko Onsen, Toya-ko-cho, Abuta-gun, Hokkaido
- Access: A 28 minutes drive from Toya Station. You can also take a local bus instead, but we recommend renting a car for more freedom of travel.
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