Lake Shikotsuko

What to know

Lake Shikotsuko (支笏湖) and nearby Lake Toyako are the two most prominent features of the Shikotsu-Toya National Park. Both lakes are caldera lakes, formed by collapses in the earth after volcanic activity.

Most of Shikotsuko is little developed except for Shikotsu Kohan, a small, touristy town with a visitor center and some lodgings along the lake's western shores. From there, visitors can rent boats, bicycles, or scuba gear to enjoy the natural surroundings, or join a sightseeing cruise of the lake in glass-bottomed boats or speed boats from late April to early November.

Lake Shikotsuko is encircled by mountains, one of which is Mount Tarumae. Tarumae ranks among Japan's most active volcanoes and last erupted in 1981. The mountain can be climbed in a steep but short ascent in less than an hour, offering impressive views of the deserted crater landscape and over Lake Shikotsuko. It is also possible to circle the crater in about two hours, but due to poisonous gases, entering the crater is not allowed. The trailhead can be accessed by car from late May to October, but there is no public transportation.

At the northern shores of the lake stands Marukoma Onsen, a ryokan with unique hot spring baths that are also open to non-staying visitors on some days of the week. Some of the ryokan's baths are located right along the lake shore and are connected to the lake by small canals, allowing for a certain exchange between the pools' hot water and the lake's cool water. Moreover, the baths' water level changes according to the lake's water level and can be uncharacteristically high for onsen pools outside of winter. The ryokan also has conventional hot spring pools, all of which are gender-segregated.

A rental car is the recommended mode of transportation for exploring the Shikotsuko region. Buses to the park operate only infrequently, and the trailhead of Mount Tarumae is not accessible by public transportation. The lake is a 40-minute drive from Shin-Chitose Airport, an 80-minute drive from central Sapporo, or an hour's drive from Lake Toya.

From Shin-Chitose Airport, there are buses to Shikotsuko Kohan (1 hour, 1260 yen one way, one bus every 2-3 hours), which also stop at Chitose Station along the way. It takes about 45 minutes and 1140 yen to get from Chitose Station to Shikotsuko Kohan. The direct bus line between Sapporo and Lake Shikotsuko was discontinued in 2010.