Lake Toya, Lake Shikotsu & Noboribetsu

The hot spring country of Shikotsu-Toya National Park: Noboribetsu's sulfurous Hell Valley, fireworks and the Showa-Shinzan volcano at Lake Toya, and the blue waters of Lake Shikotsu and the Ainu cultural center Upopoy.

Lake Toya, Lake Shikotsu and Noboribetsu lie in the Iburi region of southwestern Hokkaido and form the heart of Shikotsu-Toya National Park. It is the most common hot spring and volcano trip from Sapporo and New Chitose Airport. The area divides roughly into three parts. To the west, Lake Toya is a caldera lake with a circumference of 43 km; at Toyako Onsen on the south shore, fireworks are launched over the lake every night from April to October, and Mt. Usu and Showa-Shinzan to the south of the lake are still-active volcanoes, part of the Toyako Usuzan UNESCO Global Geopark. In the middle, Noboribetsu Onsen is known for Hell Valley, Oyunuma Pond and nine different types of spring water; nearby are the Bear Park, Date Jidaimura (Edo Wonderland) and Nixe Marine Park. To the east in Shiraoi is the Ainu cultural center Upopoy, and to the south in Muroran are Cape Chikyu and the Hakucho Bridge. In the northeast, Lake Shikotsu, about 40 minutes from New Chitose Airport, is one of the clearest lakes in Japan, and it hosts the Ice Festival in winter. Best seasons: June–September is cool and good for lakes and volcano hikes; mid-to-late October brings autumn foliage; December–February is for soaking in the snow and the Ice Festival. Getting there: the JR limited express from Sapporo takes about 70 minutes to Noboribetsu Station and about 1 hour 50 minutes to Toya Station, and both hot spring areas have shuttle buses. The sights are spread out, so driving is the most convenient (Lake Toya–Noboribetsu about 1 hour, Noboribetsu–Lake Shikotsu about 1 hour). We suggest 2–3 days, with one night each in Noboribetsu and Lake Toya. Note: some lakeside roads and trails are closed in winter; check volcanic activity information before climbing.

Top sights

• Noboribetsu Onsen / Jigokudani – Hokkaido's premier hot spring resort. Its source, Hell Valley, is a 450-m-wide explosion crater filled with white sulfurous steam, and nine…
• Lake Toya – A caldera lake about 43 km in circumference. Its central islands and castle-shaped sightseeing boats are picturesque, and from late April t…
• Lake Shikotsu – Japan's second-deepest lake and its northernmost ice-free lake. Its water has ranked first in Japan for quality for many years, showing a c…
• Toyako Onsen – A hot spring town on the south shore of Lake Toya, lined with lakeside hotels. Guests can watch the lake's fireworks from their rooms or op…
• Showa-shinzan – A volcano that rose from a wheat field between 1943 and 1945, standing 398 m tall and still emitting white steam. It is a Special Natural M…
• Mount Usu Ropeway – A roughly 6-minute ride up Mount Usu, with a summit viewpoint overlooking Showa-shinzan, Lake Toya, and Uchiura Bay, followed by a walk to…
• Nishiyama Crater Walking Trail – A trail beside new craters formed by the 2000 eruption of Mount Usu, where a cracked national road, lifted by the earth, and tilted houses…
• Toyako Visitor Center & Volcano Science Museum – A geopark information center on the Toyako Onsen hot spring street. The Volcano Science Museum recreates the 1977 and 2000 eruptions of Mou…
• Silo Observatory – A raised viewpoint beside National Route 230 on the northwest shore of Lake Toya, offering panoramas of the lake, Nakajima Island, and Moun…
• Oyunuma Pond & Natural Footbath – A hot spring pond formed in a crater of Hiyoriyama, its grayish-black surface steaming. The warm stream flowing down through the forest off…
• Noboribetsu Bear Park – A bear park on the summit of Shihogamine, reached by cable car from the hot spring town, home to about 70 Ezo brown bears. Visitors can fee…
• Noboribetsu Date Jidaimura – A theme park recreating Edo-period streetscapes, with ninja shows, oiran processions, and samurai performances staged in rotation, plus cos…
• Noboribetsu Marine Park Nixe – An aquarium modeled on Denmark's Egeskov Castle, with a 360-degree tank inside. The penguin parade and sea lion shows are popular with chil…
• Lake Kuttara – A nearly perfectly round volcanic crater lake near Noboribetsu Onsen, with no rivers flowing in or out. Its waters were once among the clea…
• Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park – Japan's first national museum dedicated to the Ainu, opened in 2020. Its lakeside park offers traditional song and dance performances, a re…
• Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival – Ice castles and ice caves built by spraying Lake Shikotsu water layer by layer and letting it freeze. They glow “Shikotsu blue” by day, and…
• Marukoma Onsen – A secret hot spring on the north shore of Lake Shikotsu with only one inn. Its natural open-air baths by the lake rise and fall with the wa…
• Mount Tarumae – An active volcano on the south shore of Lake Shikotsu, with a lava dome steaming in its summit crater. From the Seventh Station, you can re…
• Chitose Salmon Aquarium – Japan's largest freshwater fish aquarium, with underwater windows that let you watch the Chitose River up close, and where autumn brings sa…
• Cape Chikyu – A cape with cliffs about 100 meters high on the southeast side of Muroran City. A white lighthouse overlooks the endless Pacific, and the c…
• Hakucho Bridge – A suspension bridge spanning the entrance to Muroran Port, the largest of its kind in eastern Japan at 1,380 meters long. When lit at night…

Where to eat

• Restaurant Boyotei – Founded in 1946, this old-school yōshoku restaurant in Lake Toya Onsen has been known for decades for its house-made de…
• Aji no Daio Noboribetsu Onsen Branch – A famous hell ramen shop on Noboribetsu Onsen's main street, where diners set their spice level by chōme (block) and ta…
• Lake Hill Farm – A gelato shop and café run by a farm on the north shore of Lake Toya, listed among Tabelog's Top 100 Ice Cream Shops 20…
• Okadaya – A longtime sweets shop on the Lake Toya Onsen main street, whose local specialty is white shiruko, made with Toya-grown…
• Onsen Ichiba Noboribetsu – A seafood shop and canteen beside Enma-dō hall, where you can eat seafood rice bowls and Noboribetsu's specialty Enma y…

Itineraries

• Heading North by Shinkansen: Tokyo, Aomori, Hakodate & Sapporo – Take the Shinkansen from Tokyo through the Seikan Tunnel, exploring Oirase, Hakodate, Toya, Noboribetsu, Sapporo, and O…
• Toya, Niseko & Shakotan Coast Short Route – A loop from New Chitose covering the volcanic lakes of Shikotsu-Toya, the foothills of Mount Yotei, Shakotan Blue, Yoic…