Exploring Lake Toya’s attractions

29 and 30 May 2026

We had visited many caldera lakes within Hokkaido and Lake Toya was another. Located within the Shikotsu-Toya National Park, the charm of Lake Toya lies in its beautiful scenery blessed with a rich natural environment.  

We had booked a stay at the Lake Suite Ko No Sumika, a luxury lakeside hot spring hotel located within Toyako Onsen. Toyako Onsen is a popular hot spring resort town featuring scenic lake views, outdoor foot baths, and nightly fireworks from late April to the end of October. 

Many hot spring resorts at Toyako Onsen, by the shore of Lake Toya.

After almost 3 hours of driving from Hakodate, we arrived at Toyoko Onsen, located on the southern shore of the lake. The first thing on our mind was to find a place to have lunch.

Wakasaimo Honpo Lake Toya Main Store

We made a quick stop at Wakasaimo Honpo Lake Toya Main Store to buy some of their famous bean paste sweets. Their signature sweet is the “roasted sweet potato”, a sweet that looked like a small sweet potato but made without any sweet potato. The sweet even include a strand of Hokkaido seaweed in the fillings to mimic the real fiber of the sweet potato.

We tried their freshly fried wakasaimo which was absolutely delicious. The seating area in the store faces the lake and we could enjoy the hot snacks and coffee with views of the lake.

Enjoying our freshly fried wakasaimo and coffee. The large yellow paper bag contains a selection of snacks we bought.

The limited-edition freshly fried  Wakasaimo “sweet potatoes”, only available at Lake Toya.

The fillings are made from bean but tasted like sweet potatoes.

There were a large selection of sweets available and we just bought a few boxes of assorted sweets to try.

Lunch at Cafe & Restaurant THE TOYA

After shopping at Wakasaimo, we walked across the road to Cafe & Restaurant THE TOYA. This a small restaurant with only four 4-seater tables that serves excellent Japanese curry rice dishes.       

We ordered from a machine with English menu. The menu offered a choice of spiciness for the curry with 0-2 spiciness free, 3-4 spiciness for additional 100 JPY and 5 spiciness for additional 150 JPY. We went for the level 2 spiciness and it was just right for us.

Original Char Siu curry rice made with Hokkaido pork for 1700 JPY.

Fried Scallops Curry Rice. for 1800 JPY.

If you like Japanese curry, you will love the food here. Self serve cold water is available free of charge for filling in a short customer survey.

While eating, we saw an accident involving a toddler. A Korean family was seated on the table next to us. They improvised a baby chair for their toddler using their baby harness that is meant for carrying their child. My wife was just commenting to me that it was a smart idea to strap the harness onto the wooden chair to use as an improvised baby chair since the restaurant, like many in Japan, did not have a baby chair for their customers.

Shortly after, we heard a bang. The chair with the toddler had toppled backwards. The poor child may have hit his head on the floor as he was crying. The restaurant staff brought the crying child and distraught parents to the back of the restaurant to get some treatment.

We were quite shocked by the accident. Thankfully, the child was alright as we met them later at the Lake Hill Farm, our next destination after lunch.

Lake Hill Farm

Lake Fill Farm is located on the western shore of Lake Toya and just a few minutes drive away. In my original plan, I wanted to hike the Nishiyama Crater Walking Trail (1.5 hour to walk the trail) but the weather was not good so we went to the Lake Hill Farm instead. It started to rain while we were driving there.

The Lake Hill Farm is a place that serves creamy, handmade sweets including ice-cream on a scenic hilltop overlooking Lake Toya. Thankfully the rain stopped as we arrived. Spotty rain indeed.   

Walking towards the main building of Lake Hill Farm.

We spotted a couple of red huts on the meadow. These huts contain a couple of pet goats named Hana and Yuki. The wind was blowing at us as we approached the huts. I wanted to shoot photos of the red huts against the green meadow and grey skies.

Hana poked his head out to check on us.

Yuki was more laid back and preferred to stay in the warm of the hut.

There are other farm animals besides the goats. This include a rabbit pen and a stable with some miniature ponies. The weather was no great so the animals were kept inside.

There was not much else to see or do at Lake Hill Farm except go grab some hot drinks and sweets from the farmhouse.

The cafe was packed, due to the weather. We could not find any available seats so decided to just buy their gelato ice-cream to take-away.

We had to buy tickets for the ice-cream from a machine. Good marketing from them. The cost of a double scoop is only slightly more than a single scoop, so almost everyone bought a double scoop.

A double scoop ice-cream with 2 flavours. Unfortunately no view from here due to the cloudy skies.

Toya National Park Silo Observation Deck

After Lake Hill Farm, we went to the Toya National Park Silo Observation Deck. It was just a few minutes drive down the road from the farm. We saw many tour buses in the car park.

This place is supposed to be a good observation deck offering stunning panoramic views of Lake Toya with Nakajima Island in the middle, Mount Usu, Showa Shinzan, and Mount Yotei in the far distant. Not today.

We only saw fog on this day. Faint shadows of the Nakajima islands could be seen through the fog.

The building next to the observation deck offered various souvenirs and local specialties to ease the disappointments of the tourists.

This was the last “attraction” we visited on this day. We decided to try checking into our hotel, the Lake Suite Ko No Sumika, earlier than the stated check-in time.

Lake Suite Ko No Sumika

Unlike most Japanese hotels that are very strict in terms of check-in time at 3 PM, Lake Suite Ko No Sumika allowed us to check in at 2 PM. So nice of them.

View of Nakajima Island in the middle of the Lake Toya as seen from the lobby.

Every room in Lake Suite Ko No Sumika has a private hot spring bath facing the lake.

Sunset at Lake Toya. Our hotel is on the left of the picture.

Many people visited Lake Toya as a day trip. I think that is a shame. The best time to enjoy a lake like Toya is during sunset and sunrise. It is nice to watch the changing colours of the evening sky from the comfort of a luxury hotel.

Another good reason why a stay at Lake Toya is a must during late April to the end of October is their nightly fireworks. Approximately 450 fireworks are launched each night for about 20 minutes starting at 8:45pm. We could see the fireworks display right from the balcony of our room.

More about our stay in this wonderful hotel in my next post.

          

After enjoying our stay at the Lake Suite Ko No Sumika, we went to check out the rest of Lake Toya attractions the next day before leaving for Noboribetsu Onsen.

Toya Lake Gurutto Sculpture Park

Near to our hotel is a sculpture park with many sculptures by famous Japanese and international artists located on the lake shore. Some were too abstract for my liking. We do not have the time to view them all.

For me, a not-to-miss sculpture is the "Moonlight" by Igor Mitrai (installed in 1991). Google Map location here.

"Moonlight" by Polish sculptor, Igor Mitrai features a dramatic, classical-style fractured face with a hollow void.

This bronze face sculpture is very striking and a photo of it with Mount Yotei and the lake in the background is actually very nice.

Three marble lionesses are located nearby too.

Lake Toya Visitor Center

We made a stop at the Lake Toya Visitor Center. This is a free visitor center providing information about nature, volcanoes, the local ecosystem, and plants and animals. It also displays the formation and natural environment of Lake Toya through panels, specimens, and photographs.

Graphics showing the origins of Lake Toya and Mount Usu.

The Volcano Science Museum is right next door but it is a paid attraction. Given time, we could have visited the museum to learn about the history and mechanisms of Mt. Usu’s eruptions. We decided to give it a miss.

Sobetsu Park

Just before leaving Lake Toya, we turned off the main road (Hokkaidō Hwy No. 2) onto a side road and drove up a narrow zig-zag road to Sobetsu Park. Sobetsu Park is situated on top of a hill, offering picturesque views of Lake Toya, Mount Yotei, and Mount Showa-shinzan.

From this elevated spot, the calm blue waters of the Lake Toya stretch out below us, with the surrounding mountains creating a naturally stunning backdrop.

Showa Shinzan is one of Japan's youngest mountains. The mountain rose to its current height of 290 meters between 1943 and 1945 after a series of  earthquakes. The mountain, bare of trees, is still venting fumes today.

View of Showa Shinzan from Sobetsu Park.

Zoomed in view of Showa Shinzan, the bare mountain.

There is supposed to a grove full of plum trees at Sobetsu Park. Sobetsu Park is supposed to be a good place to view plum blossoms in Spring. Few plum flowers were seen and the branches of the plum trees seemed to be freshly pruned.

Sobetsu Park is suppposed to be a good place to view plum blossoms in Spring.

Partially covered Mount Yotei as seen from Sobetsu Park.

There is a hut with a strange figure inside. It looks like some kind of shrine for a deity and there are metal blades behind the figure.

We only spend a short time at the Sobetsu Park observatory point to enjoy the views before continuing on our drive to Noboribetsu Onsen via the Orofure Pass (Hokkaidō Hwy No. 2).

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Exploring Hakodate on a Rainy Day –Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse

28 May 2026

Rain was forecasted in Hakodate so we planned to have a relaxing day exploring the waterfront area of Hakodate and take cover in the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse once the rain starts.

Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse at the waterfront.

The iconic Meiji-era, red-brick warehouses is a reminder that Hakodate was one of Japan's first key foreign trade hubs. These buildings now house a shopping and dining complex and are perfect for exploration on a day with expected wet weather.

The weather in the morning was good. From our hotel (JR Inn Hakodate), we walked over to have breakfast at the Hakodate Morning Market. From there, we continued our walk towards the waterfront via Kaiko Street.

We made a stop at the Satudora Hakodate Kanemori-Soko Store to shop for local cosmetics and pharmaceutical products. From there, we went to explore the harbourfront area where the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse is located.

Hakodate Meijikan

The first building we went into was the Hakodate Meijikan. This building was originally built in 1911 as the Hakodate Post Office. The building has since being repurposed as a vibrant commercial space.

A signboard explained the history of the Hakodate Meijikan.  

The red-brick exterior of Hakodate Meijikan is covered with attractive green ivy plants.

Inside the building, there are delicate glassware and many cute and charming teddy bears and stuff toys. It is nice to browse and snap photos of the cute stuff on display. Many are Studio Ghibli and Totoro merchandise.

Stuff capybaras and cute stuff.

Themed corners dedicated to popular characters like Totoro.

The famous Catbus from the Totoro anima.

A corner with a cute Doraemon character for photos.

Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse complex

Next to the Meijikan is the actual Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse complex consisting of four facilities. Founded in 1887 and rebuilt in 1909, the original brick architecture of the warehouses was well preserved.

The area around the warehouses is a beautiful place to stroll around. We could see a bit of Mount Hakodate in the background but it was shrouded in low clouds.

It was interesting to read about the history of the place and how the symbol for a carpenter’s square (that looks like a numeric 7) was used as their logo and how the name “Kanemori” came about.

Kanemori Warehouse’s logo with the carpenter square over a bold white "forest" kanji symbol (森, mori).

There were also examples showing the difference in the brickworks used by the British and French builders. The Kanemori Warehouses were built using the British method.

British method of brick laying that features entire horizontal rows alternating between all-stretchers (long side) and all-headers (short end) facing out.

The French method repeats a sequence within the same row, laying one stretcher (long side) followed sequentially by two headers (short sides) across the wall face. More beautiful but less strong.

Bay Hakodate – one of the 4 warehouses in the complex.

The brick warehouse complex features about 50 shops that are spread out over 4 zones, namely

• BAY Hakodate
• Kanemori Yobutsukan
• Hakodate History Plaza
• Kanemori Hall

The Kanemori Youbutsukan (“Western Item Hall”) features shops that offer a wide variety of products. The Bay Hakodate zone features cafes and a chapel. The Hakodate History Plaza includes a beer hall and souvenir shops. Finally, the Kanemori Hall serves as a venue for various events, including concerts.      

Most of the shops featured local brands, souvenirs and handicrafts. One of the highlights was to shop for local snacks and sweets.

 

Local footwear brand with interesting floral design.

One of the snacks we bought was this. Trappist cookies are famous butter biscuits baked by monks at the Trappist Monastery in Hokuto City, near Hakodate, Hokkaido. Rich and creamy with a distinct, fresh butter flavor.

Pastry Snaffle's is a famous confectionery brand from Hakodate, Hokkaido, best known for its signature "Cheese Omelette"—an airy, melt-in-your-mouth soufflé-style cheesecake.

It actually started raining as we finished exploring Bay Hakodate. There was no covered walkway linking the warehouses but the rain in Japan was not heavy.  

Cool T-shirt that we bought as a gift for someone back home.

Light lunch before returning to our hotel.

My wife and I are not the shopaholic-types so we decided to return to our hotel by 3 PM. We actually walked back to our hotel in the light rain, protected by our rain jackets.

We went to check out the Hakodate JR Station and Hakoviva Shopping Centre that is located next to our hotel. There are some restaurants and souvenir shops but the place does not appeal to us. Most of the restaurants were still closed and only opened later for dinner.

Back at the JR Inn Hakodate, we went to the top-floor lounge located on the 12th floor to chill and relax. We could see Mount Hakodate and was glad that we went to see the famous night view on our first day. No one is going to get any views on the mountain on this cloudy and rainy day.

View from the lounge at JR Inn Hakodate.

Made a cup of hot tea but spilled it on the floor before she could drink it!  

 

Hakodate Shio Ramen Shinano

It was still raining when we decided to head out to grab some dinner. There is a popular ramen restaurant near our hotel that is renowned for its traditional Hakodate-style shio (salt) ramen. The store opens at 5 PM and it made sense to go early to avoid the queues.

We made good use of the covered walkways in the bus station, next to the JR Station, to shelter us from the rain for most of the way to the restaurant. Thankfully, there was no queue and we managed to get seated immediately.

A friendly staff came to take our orders which was a nice change from having to order from a ticket machine.

The place itself is quite small, but still very comfortable.   

Menu on the wall. The food items are reasonably priced. 

Signature Shio Ramen with clear and tasty broth for 1,000 JPY.

Gyozas for 600 JPY.

Like most small Japanese restaurants, service was fast and efficient.

Slurping on a hot bowl of Shio Ramen noodles is a good way to end a day of exploring Hakodate on a wet day. The ramen was incredibly delicious. No wonder there was a line queuing outside when we left the restaurant!

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