It doesn't seem right for me to stay in Lake Toya without a longer glimpse of its beauty and so, i pulled Alex out of bed and drove out at about 7 am from Daiwa Ryokan when the lack of curtain forced me to wake up at about 4 am!
Emptiness greeted us as the entire promenade was devoid of humans; guess most, if not all people were sleeping whereas dumb-assess like me were facing insomnia due to the bright morning sunshine.
Cruise ship from the night before; the same one that's used to catch the daily fireworks show at night on Lake Toya. Oh wait, there's an uncle there!
I actually had plans to visit Nakajima Island in the middle of Lake Toya but time wasn't on our time. Anyway, here's where i am going to pepper you with information about the caldera lake!
It was formed about 110,000 years ago due to a volcano eruption with a maximum depth of close to 180 meter. Nakajima rose up from the middle of the lake about 40,000 to 50,000 years ago. Do thank Japan's Ministry of Environment for providing the information panel.
Mount Yotei from the lake! Don't recall what's that mountain? It's the source of ice cold spring water at Fukidashi Park! For more information, click here.
Lonesome boat in the middle of the lake.
The circumference of Lake Toya is about 43 kilometers and it's unfair if i didn't give it a different perspective; since i didn't want to drive too far along a boring highway, let's just check out the eight views of toyako!
I have no idea where the eight views were although this location brings us much closer to the lake. If you wish, i believe you can play around with the water and get yourself soaking wet!
We were not prepared and were happy to stand on rocks while marveling at the clear water and rocks covered with slippery moss.
Did you see that building on top of the hill in the middle of the picture? Now, go check out the first picture of my fireworks post and you would notice a bright shimmer on the top left; think it's the same building.
Boat rental service! More on that shortly.
Always curious to check out the living creatures in the lake in case there is a lake monster like the one at Loch Ness. Interestingly, there's a reported one in Hokkaido but not at Lake Toya; it's in Lake Kussharo and you may refer to here for more information.
So many shrimps in the lake!
Sign on shore mentioning a fine or imprisonment for people who catch the crayfish in the lake. Hm... the shrimps would be okay right? Well, since we are foreigners, better don't play play.
Think the butterfly is dead...
Looks a bit like tomatoes from one of the nearby bushes.
Nakajima Island from lakeside - notice any difference from the picture i shared earlier? Let's see if any one of you has hawk eyes to spot it!
That island on the left is a separate isle and even though the name is known as kannon island, i am more intrigued by the Chinese translation; guanyin which is the name of a very popular bodhisattva!
Edging nearer towards the boat rental area.
The speedboat by the pier can also be rented for around-the-lake courses! Cheapest was a 10-minute ride at about S$37.50 for two persons. I was more keen in route G which would have cost me close to S$170 for a 45-minute ride!
Definitely cheaper to go with the pedal boat but i think i would be dead scared if i am stuck at the deepest part of the lake.
Nevertheless, the rental rate wasn't that cheap at 1,200 yen (30 minutes) for a two-seater pedal boat. Furthermore, it's still not open for business which means i can save some money! p.s. Alex has the tendency to go with such rides (evidence here at Taiwan's Yun-Hsien Park & Resort).
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Location
Lake Toya,
Hokkaido, Japan
Map
As above.
For our 8 days, 7 nights Hokkaido itinerary in summer, click here.