Hokkaido-Lake Toya

Hokkaidō literally "Northern Sea Circuit"), formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectures. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu,[2] although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel. The largest city on Hokkaido is its capital, Sapporo, which is also its only ordinance-designated city.

Soure: Wikipedia

Lake Tōya (洞爺湖, Tōya-ko?) is a volcanic caldera lake in Shikotsu-Toya National Park, Abuta District, Hokkaidō, Japan. The stratovolcano of Mount Usu lies on the southern rim of the caldera. The lake is nearly circular, being 10 kilometers in diameter from east-west and 9 kilometers from North-South. The lake's biggest town, Tōyako Onsen (洞爺湖温泉) is located on its western shore. The town Tōyako is located on the other side of the lake.

Lake Tōya is said to be the northernmost lake in Japan that never ices, and the second most transparent lake in Japan. Nakano-shima, an island in the middle of the lake, houses the Tōya Lake Forest Museum.

Lake Tōya was called Kim'un-to (キムウン (kim'un) means "in the mountain"[3] and ト (to) means "lake"[3]) by the Ainu. In the Meiji era, Japanese pioneers named the lake Tōya after the Ainu expression to ya, which means "lakeland."[3]



The 2008 G8 Summit was held at Lake Tōya and The Windsor Hotel Toya Resort & Spa.

58 sculptures are displayed along the lake with the circumference of 43km and this is one of them

Mount Usu is an active stratovolcano in the Shikotsu-Toya National Park, Hokkaidō, Japan. It has erupted four times since 1900: in 1910, 1944–45 (which created Shōwa-shinzan), August 7, 1977[3], and on March 31, 2000. To the north lies Lake Toya. Mount Usu formed on the southern rim of the caldera containing the lake.



Mount Usu and Shōwa-shinzan are major tourist attractions in the Shikotsu-Toya National Park. A ropeway on Mount Usu takes visitors to viewing platforms overlooking Shōwa-shinzan. The 1977 eruption is mentioned in passing in Alan Booth's classic travelogue, The Roads to Sata. The 2008 G8 Summit was held near Mount Usu at Lake Toya.[4]

This is Silo Observatory, one of the recommendable places to see the whole picture of the lake

Shōwa-shinzan (昭和新山, Shōwa-shinzan?) is a volcanic lava dome in the Shikotsu-Toya National Park, Hokkaidō, Japan, next to Mount Usu. The mountain was created between 1944 and 1945. Initially, a series of strong earthquakes shook the area, and wheat fields were rapidly uplifted. Lava broke through the surface and the current peak was created. The peak is now 398 m (1,306 ft) tall, and still actively smoking.



The name Shōwa-shinzan literally means "Showa new mountain", as it formed during the reign of Emperor Hirohito, known as the Showa period

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