Hokkaido – Four days in Akan National Park

It's really hard to imagine we've been back from Japan for two and a half months already. Time flies! When you're having fun, or when you're doing renos on the house. Anyway, better late than never.

The first segment of our trip was spent in the region of Akan National Park. We flew from Tokyo into Kushiro. From Kushiro we hitched a ride to our first stop at Kawayu Onsen Eki-mae (Kawayu Hot Spring Station, the small village just down the road from Kawayu Hot Spring proper.) From there we explored the Kawayu Onsen area, the Mount Io volcano, Lake Kussharo and Lake Mashu. Then we hitched a ride westward to the town of Akanko Onsen (Lake Akan Hot Spring) where we enjoyed the lake front, the Ainu folk village and Marimo (round lake algae) Museum.

Bears outside the Kushiro airport. We saw many warnings for
bears and lots of representations of bears, but no actual bears.

First of many decorative manhole covers seen on our
trip: here, the Kushiro wetlands.

The touristy parts of Kushiro and surrounds was filled with crane imagery.

A more generic Hokkaido manhole cover, with the famous
Aka-Renga (“Red Brick”) building of Sapporo.

Roadside greenery.

On our way to the road out of Kushiro.

An overgrown parking lot.

The Hotel Parkway and the steaming Io-zan behind.
You could always smell the sulphur.

We were amazed by all the “birch tree” telephone poles.

Lush green grass and flowers. After even only two months of dry,
brown winter, Hokkaido was a dream come true.

Abandoned school. (Kawayu-onsen Eki-mae had seen better days.)

We saw these amazingly huge butterbur plants everywhere!

Mashu National Highway 391.

First kitsune (fox) sighting.

Into the Green Leaf Tunnel.

Io-zan, Mount Io.

Approaching the volcanic vent.

The steam was so loud. And so, so smelly.

After all the tourists cleared out.

Back to the Hotel Parkway via the Green Leaf Tunnel.

Explaining a mountain.

Walking along the Tsutsujigahara Nature Trail

Looking back to Io-zan from the Tsutsujigahara Nature Trail.

Shira kanba – white birch.

Inside the Kawayu Onsen Eco Centre. (Please take note of the giant stuffed
Totoro, which is why I took this photo.)

A small shrine tucked behind some trees in Kawayu Onsen.

Water from the hot spring, running through the town.

Public foot bath!

Sumo ring and shrine torii gate on either side of the giant mizunara oak tree.
It is some 300 years old and some 21 metres tall (as best as I could read the sign next to it.)

Lupins taking over an abandoned parking lot.

Boats for hire on Lake Kussharo on a cold and windy day at Sunayu.
You can dig down to warm water through the sand at this beach.

No one was taking boats out today.

The absolutely idyllic rotemburo (open air hot spring) at Ainu Kotan
and the best way to thoroughly warm up on a cold day.

The road through Ainu Kotan village.

Green pastoral hills, Mashu-dake (Mount Mashu) in the distance.

Overlooking Lake Mashu, Mashu-dake across the clouds.

Looking out over a sea of clouds at the Lake Mashu tenbou-dai (lookout.)

As we began our hike, the clouds over Lake Mashu began to clear away.

Dappled sunlight through a grove of shira kanba

Sasa, a shorter relative of bamboo found all over Hokkaido,
covers the hills and rustles pleasantly in the breeze.

Green and blue as far as you can see.

The winding trail around Lake Mashu. Our destination is on the far left.

Scenic overlook of the lake. (Now our destination is on the far right.)

The breathtaking view of Mashu-ko from the peak of Mashu-dake, standing on the rim of the caldera.

Proof of the summit! We just happened to get lucky and there was another hiker at the top.

The smaller caldera of Mt Mashu inside the much larger caldera of Lake Mashu.

The view straight down from the peak into the caldera.

Tranquility over the lake.

All the clouds over the lake were long gone by the time we made it back around.

Akan town visitor and information Center. (Note the bear!)

Lake Akan Onsen,complete with marimo.

More butterbur.

This deer is sad because he can't eat the bark off the tree. Every tree
had deer fencing and every tree had a similar sign.

Some of the unique Ainu buildings in Lake Akan town.

The ferry on Lake Akan, sporting Ainu art and design.

I was so excited to see deer on our ferry ride on Lake Akan!
These were the only deer we saw on our trip.

Mount Meakan in the distance from Chuurui Island.

At the marimo (a type of round ball algae) museum.

Spectacular wooden carvings of owls at the Ainu Kotan art village.

Ainu Kotan art village architechture.

Yes, it is Do Not Touch but he is being very careful not to touch the bear.
(Also note the museum slippers.)

Hillside Shinto shrine in Akan.

One last evening view of Lake Akan before we head out the next morning.