Hokkaido · AkanNo.706★★★Open in map →
Lake Akan
A caldera lake in eastern Hokkaido, protected as the home of Japan's marimo. A hot-spring town lines the southern shore, with a free visitor centre, an Ainu community and the boat pier all within walking distance.
- FromKushiro Station
- ~2 hrAkan Bus, 3-4 runs a day
- Get off atAkanko Bus Center (Akan Bus, Akan Line)
- From there
- Lake Akan
Where it is
102 more notes in Hokkaido · open the map →What to look for — in walking order
- Akanko Ainu Kotana community of Ainu craft houses and a theatre at the western end of the town
- The lake shore at Akanko Onsenan open shoreline path between the hot-spring town and the water
- Sightseeing boat pierdeparture point for the cruise out to Churui Island
- Lake Akan Visitor Centera free exhibition on the marimo and the volcanic landscape, run by the Ministry of the Environment
- Bokke traila short forest walk behind the visitor centre to the Bokke mud volcano
How to actually get there
- Kushiro Station → Akanko Bus Center (Akan Bus, Akan Line, about 2 hours, 2,750 yen).
- Akanko Bus Center → Akanko Ainu Kotan (a short walk along the main street).
- Follow the shore east past the sightseeing boat pier to the Lake Akan Visitor Center.
- Carry on behind the visitor centre onto the Bokke trail, then return the same way.
- Akan Bus, Akan Line, from Kushiro Station
- From the bus stops in front of JR Kushiro Station, take the Akan Bus Akan Line to its terminus at Akanko Bus Center. The operator's timetable gives year-round departures at 10:10, 14:50 and 17:15, with an extra 12:00 run from July to October. The ride takes about two hours and the fare is 2,750 yen.
- Return to Kushiro from Akanko Bus Center
- Buses for Kushiro Station leave the bus centre at 7:30, 10:20 and 16:15, with an extra 12:40 departure from July to October. The 16:15 is the last of the day, so an unhurried afternoon at the lake means either catching it or staying the night in the town.
About the place
Lake Akan lies inside Akan-Mashu National Park in eastern Hokkaido, ringed by forest and volcanic peaks. Along its southern shore runs Akanko Onsen, the hot-spring town where the bus from Kushiro ends. This is the lake where marimo, spherical green algae, are protected as a Special Natural Monument. A free visitor centre run by the Ministry of the Environment stands at the eastern end of the town and sets out how they form. From there the shoreline, the sightseeing boat pier and an Ainu community are all within a walk of each other.
How to enjoy it
The visitor centre opens at 9:00 and closes at 17:00, and it is shut on Tuesdays, so a morning arrival lets you take the exhibition first and the shore afterwards. The Churui Island boat runs only while the lake is free of ice, so ask at the pier before you build the day around it.
Background & history
The basin was cut by an enormous eruption roughly 150,000 years ago, which left a caldera in what is now eastern Hokkaido. Later volcanic activity at Mount Oakan dammed the water into the lake that stands today. The Ainu have lived along these shores for generations, and a community of craft houses and a theatre still occupies the western end of the hot-spring town. The lake's marimo carry the designation of Special Natural Monument, the strongest protection Japan gives a living thing.
Before you go
- Cash
- The visitor centre is free. Bus fares are paid on board, though the operator also sells a web ticket in advance. The sightseeing boat and the exhibition centre on Churui Island charge separately.
- Before you go
- The visitor centre closes on Tuesdays, and on the following day when a Tuesday falls on a public holiday. The lake freezes over in the depth of winter and the sightseeing boat does not run then.
- Another way
- The same Akan Bus line calls at Kushiro Airport on its way inland, so an arriving flight can be joined directly to the bus without going into the city first.
- After you get off
- Akanko Bus Center sits at the western end of the hot-spring town. The visitor centre is about eight minutes on foot to the east, along the main street and the shore.