27 August 2023
After taking our lunch at Kawayu Onsen, we continued our sightseeing at Akan Mashu National Park.
We planned to see Lake Mashu and also check out some of the free public onsens scattered along the shores of Lake Kussharo. Kawayu Onsen is located in the middle of both lakes, with Mashu on the east and Kussharo on the west.
We decided to see Lake Mashu first as we planned to have a dip in the onsens at Lake Kussharo later.
Lake Mashu Observation Deck No. 3
From Kawayu Onsen, we drove up Highway 52 to Observation Deck No. 3. It was quite a fun drive along the steep switchback road near the peak.
There is free parking by the side of the road at our destination. From the parking lot, we crossed the road and climbed stairs to the observation deck.
Map showing the area around Observation Deck No. 3. This is the highest observation point on the Mashu caldera.
In summer, the surface of Lake Mashu is often obscured by fog. In fact, there is usually fog covering the lake for about 100 days of the year.
A local legend says that if you can see the surface of the lake, you will have bad luck. Although it was a cloudy day with rain forecasted in the afternoon, we were able to see the lake.
Are we were considered lucky to be able to see the lake on this day?
The lake is supposed to be one of the clearest in the world and one of the deepest in Japan but we could not really discern that as the sky was cloudy. What we could see is that the lake is surrounded by steep walls 200 metres (660 ft) high. Lake Mashu is actually a caldera of a dormant volcano. No visible stream or rivers flow into the lake and there is also no visible outlet. We knew some of the water was discharged via underground spring at Kaminokoike (“child of God” pond) that we had visited early.
We could see a small island in the middle of the lake and also Mount Mashu across the lake on the eastern shore.
Two volcanoes have grown out of the Mashu caldera. Kamuishu Island is actually a lava dome which rises from the middle of the lake. The other is Mount Mashu which forms the highest point on the eastern shore. The Ainu (local indigenous people) name for this peak is Kamuinupuri or “mountain of the gods”.
It is very breezy at the observation deck. A nice place to relax and enjoy the panoramic views.
The lake view from the observation deck is truly panoramic. We could also see views of Iozan, Kawayu Onsen and part of Lake Kussharo from this vantage point.
View of Iozan, Kawayu Onsen and part of Lake Kussharo.
Lake Mashu Observation Deck No. 1
Further down highway 52 is Lake Mashu Observation Deck No. 1 ( Note: there is no Observation Deck No.2 – don’t ask me why).
The car park at this place is not free, but our car park ticket from the Iozan car park is valid for use here.
Observation Deck No. 1 does not offer any better views of Lake Mashu. Actually worse in my opinion.
View of Lake Mashu from Observation Deck No. 1.
However this place has a cafe called the Lake Mashu Kamuy Terrace that serves coffee made from locally grown soybeans and soft-serve ice cream made from fresh milk. It also has rooftop deck with special angle adjustable sofas for nighttime visitors to do some star gazing.
Observation Deck No. 1 is also the starting point for a hiking trail that leads to the summit of Mount Mashu.
The weather is very changeable. As we were leaving Lake Mashu, the sky began to clear. Our next stop is Lake Kussharo, located on the west of Kawayu Onsen.
Sunayu Onsen on Lake Kussharo
We drove down Highway 52 back to Kawayu Onsen and continued on the same highway to Lake Kussharo.
Like Lake Mashu, Lake Kussharo is also a caldera lake. In fact, it is one of the largest caldera lakes in Japan, with a circumference of 57 kilometers and a maximum depth of 125 meters. Being formed from the crater of an ancient volcano, there are numerous hot springs on the shores of this lake.
Sunayu Onsen is an interesting place to visit on Lake Kussharo as the hot spring water is directly surfacing on a beach! Here, you can dig your own onsen on the sandy beach.
There is a large free car park at Sunayu Onsen. We changed into our sandals at the car park as we wanted to soak our feet in the hot spring bath on the beach.
In winter, the warm spring water on the shores of Lake Kussharo would attract many migrating swans. The only swans we saw in summer are the boats, in the shape of swans.
The weather by now had turn sunny and very warm. It was too hot to do any digging on the sand. Fortunately there are already pre-dug footbaths on the beach with wooden benches as well!
Lake Kussharo has its own legend of a lake monster like Loch Ness. It is probably a marketing gimmick that did not work.
Kussie - a Japanese lake monster. Cousin of Nessie, the Loch Ness monster?
Kotan Onsen
We left Sunayu Onsen and continued our drive along the shores of Lake Kussharo to Kotan onsen.
Kotan onsen is a natural open-air hot spring bath on the shore of Lake Kussharo and are completely free to take a dip in. Despite being free, the baths are regularly cleaned and maintained by a local organization to ensure a sanitary bathing space.
I had seen pictures of Kotan Onsen on the internet and it looked quite fun to have a dip in this open air onsen with views of the lake. Kotan Onsen is supposed to be mixed gender, with a large dividing rock separating the male and female sections. There are separate changing rooms for both men and women. Being a open air public onsen, it is perfectly acceptable to wear a bathing suit into the onsen.
My plan was for my son and me to take a dip in the onsen (in our shorts) while my wife snaps photos of us.
When we arrived at Kotan Onsen, there were already some local men bathing nude in Kotan Onsen! We decided to skip our dips for obvious reasons.
Kanon Coffee & Sweets
Our next stop was a cool coffee place on our way back to Kawayu Onsen. Kanon Coffee & Sweets is a coffee and handmade sweets cafe located in the forest by Lake Kussharo. Access is by a small road off Highway 52, slightly north of Sunayu Onsen.
There is a nice garden with beautiful plants and flowers outside the cafe. Inside, the cafe is cosy and well decorated with stained glass on windows and light fixtures. We were the only customer at this time of day.
A traditional kettle hangs over a stove. I had seen this in ryokans during my hikes on the Nakasendo.
The owner speaks English and presented us with the following menu.
The cafe also provided free wi-fi which we used to share photos that we had taken during our drive from Utoro to Akan Mashu National Park. Overall, this cafe is worth visiting for the drinks and delicious desserts.
The friendly cafe owner offered to take a group photo for us.
Kanon Coffee & Sweets was our last stop on this day before we check into our hotel in Kawayu Onsen.
Hotel Parkway in Kawayu Onsen.
Located between Lake Mashu and Lake Kussharo, Kawayu Onsen is a good place to stay when visiting the two lakes in the Akan Mashu National Park. It is also right next to Iozan, which is the source of the water for this hot spring town (onsen).
Kawa means river. The town could boasts that 100% of its hot waters come directly from the source Iozan and the river of hot water that flows through the town. There are about 20 hotels and ryokans in the town, and each use the rich hot spring water for the bath.
We booked our stay at a onsen hotel called Hotel Parkway with dinner and breakfast included.
Upon entry, we had to remove our shoes and wear the hotel provided sandals, like most traditional Japanese inns.
Check in was fast and we are given information about the hotel’s onsen and dining facilities.
There is no lift in the 2 storey building. It was good that our Japanese style room for 3 persons is located on the ground floor. The room features traditional futon bedding laid over tatami (woven-straw) floor, a low table with seating cushions and an LCD TV. I was glad to see that there is air-conditioning in the room. Previous reviews and specification of the room in booking.com did not specify that the room came with air-conditioning. Hurrah!
Our room has a small toilet and basin but no bath or shower. We are to bath or shower in the public onsen facilities.
After check-in, we went to bath and soak in the onsens. There is an outdoor mixed-gender public hot spring bath, and indoor and outdoor public hot spring baths that are separated by gender.
We were the first persons in the men’s onsen. The water temperature in the indoor onsen was very hot. After a 10 minutes soak, we could not take it anymore and went to check out the outdoor onsen.
There was one person using the outdoor onsen. We did not chat due to language barrier. We sat there silently, enjoying the outdoor ambience. Only downside was that the water in the outdoor onsen was not warm enough.
A short while later, the guy left and another Japanese man came to join us.
The second person could speak a little English and we chatted. He told us he is from Matsumoto and is visiting Hokkaido for a few days. I told him I had enjoyed my trip to Matsumoto and the Kiso valley while doing the Nakasendo hike a few years ago.
He told us he had been to Singapore and enjoyed the food. He remembered Sentosa and Newton Circles hawker center. These are the typically itinerary for Japanese tourists on a guided tour to Singapore. I enjoy chatting with fellow travelers to share experiences and learnt something new.
After the bath and soak, it was time for dinner. There are yukatas provided in our room. Since my son had not stayed in a traditional Japanese inn before, we put on the yukatas for dinner (although it is OK to go for dinner in other attire). Just for fun and experience.
Dinner was served at the dining pavilion Fumoto-Tei, and featured Mashu Sea Bream sashimi (they gave it a fancy name – actually tilapia fish!) that are farmed on the property.
There were options to upgrade the dinner to be fancier but we stayed with the standard option. For the price we paid, dinner was surprisingly good.
Dinner at Hotel Parkway with sashimi, salad, tofu dish, hotpot and tempura dishes.
There is nothing much to do after dinner. Although we are not in the mood for another bath and soak in the onsen, we went to check out the mixed gender outdoor onsen. It was a short distance away from the main building. The pathway was well lit.
Separate male and female changing rooms are provided, but the main onsen pool is shared. There is a large rock slab in the middle to segregate the male and female sections. Cheeky guys could easily get a peek at the female side and vice versa.
Outdoor mixed gender public onsen (Photo source: Hotel Parkway)
Nobody was using this onsen.
We retired to our room early. I tried to get some sleep before the 1.30 AM Newcastle vs Liverpool game that I wanted to watch using an live streaming app on my mobile phone. I was worried that hotel’s spotty wi-fi is not good enough to stream live football but my worries were unfounded.
It was a tense game. After some early setbacks, my team won!
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