The Lake Toya area is one of Hokkaido's most representative tourist destinations. While Lake Toya Onsen is certainly famous, it is also home to two volcanoes, Showa Shinzan and Usuzan, making it a popular tourist spot where visitors can experience Earth's activity up close.

In addition, a lake cruise on a sightseeing boat is a classic way to enjoy Lake Toya.
While the Lake Toya sightseeing boat makes a stop at an island called Nakajima along the way, it's not widely known that you can enjoy trekking there.

This time, I landed on Nakajima Island in Lake Toya, a place even locals rarely visit, and explored the footpaths (trekking courses)!

【table of contents】
1. About Lake Toya and Nakajima Island
2. Nakajima Island Exploration Course Experience
Summary

Lake Toya is a lake formed by a volcanic eruption.
When a large volcanic eruption occurs, the surrounding land collapses, creating a large depression (caldera).
Over a long period of time, when rainwater and other liquids accumulate in a depression, it forms a lake called a "caldera lake."

Caldera lakes, formed by the Earth's activity of volcanic eruptions, offer dynamic and beautiful scenery, and many of them are popular tourist destinations.

In particular, Japan, which is known as an archipelago of volcanoes, has many caldera lakes, such as Lake Ashi in Hakone and Lake Towada in Aomori Prefecture.
Hokkaido has many caldera lakes, including Lake Mashu, Lake Kussharo, and Lake Shikotsu, and Lake Toya is also one of Hokkaido's representative caldera lakes.

In the center of Lake Toya are four islands known as "Nakajima," which were formed by the accumulation of lava and material that came out during volcanic eruptions.
The four islands are named "Oshima," "Kannonjima," "Bentenjima," and "Manjujima," and all are uninhabited.

Among these, Oshima Island is a stop on the Lake Toya sightseeing cruise route, and you can also disembark there.

Additionally, Oshima Island has a walking trail that circles the entire island, making it an easy trekking course even for outdoor beginners.

Image source:Quoted from Toyako-Usu Geopark

This time, I landed on Oshima Island and walked the "Nakajima Island Loop Course," which is about 7.6 km long.

I visited Lake Toya in late September, just as the autumn leaves were beginning to change color. In Hokkaido, this is about the last time you can enjoy the greenery.

I boarded a sightseeing boat at 8:30 in the morning. I'm enjoying a leisurely little boat trip.

We will land on Nakajima Island in about 20 minutes.
The sightseeing boats arrive every 30 minutes, so you can enjoy sightseeing even if you only have time between departures.

If you're lucky, you might spot an Ezo deer.

To enter the mountain, you need to complete the entry procedures at the Toya Forest Museum.
As soon as the museum opens at 9:00 AM, you complete the procedure by writing your name and other information in the designated notebook.

The entrance to the walking trail is a gate like the one in the picture.
Since this area is part of Shikotsu-Toya National Park, there are various warning signs posted at the gate.

From the trailhead gate, the path is covered with wood chips and leads through a larch forest for a while.

The trails are comfortable enough to walk in even with city shoes, so even those who just stop by briefly during a tour around the lake can easily take a stroll.

After leaving the forest, the path becomes an uphill climb and turns into a proper walking trail.
The landscape also becomes more varied, with an increasing number of trees possessing a unique presence. Large fallen trees stand alongside the lush foliage, creating a mystical atmosphere.

After walking up the trail for a while, the scenery suddenly changes, and a flat plain opens up before you.

It's an area known as the "Great Plains."

There used to be trees here, but for some reason, only this area has withered and died.
It's a mysterious space that suddenly opens up in the middle of the forest!

Eventually, I noticed that there were almost no artificial sounds around me.

Occasionally, you can faintly hear the sounds of sightseeing boats or motorboats in the distance, but there are no mechanical noises such as cars, and there is absolutely no background music typical of tourist areas.

It is filled with the sounds of nature, such as the sound of the wind blowing, the sound of rain, the chirping and flapping of birds' wings.

This alone made the trip worthwhile.

There's a bench here, so I'll take a short break and immerse myself in nature for a while, enjoying some healing time.

Resuming our walk.

A little further from the vast plain, you'll find a sign that says "End of the Red Pine Course."
If you're on a tight schedule, turning back here would make it an easy 1-hour trek, but since we're doing a full loop this time, we'll continue straight ahead.
From here, we gradually begin to descend.

At this point, the path is no longer paved with wood chips, but a normal mountain trail.
There are hardly any steep slopes or difficult paths, so even inexperienced hikers can safely enjoy mountain walking if they have the right shoes.
A lake comes into view in the distance.

Unfortunately, it rained intermittently that day, so I couldn't take many pictures of the scenery, but Lake Toya in the rain also has a mystical and unique charm!

We descended the mountain path and reached the lakeside. It took about an hour and a half to get here. We followed the arrows.
From here on, it's mostly flat. However, there are some slopes and rocky sections that make walking difficult, so watch your step.

It was late September at the time, so the trees were just beginning to turn yellow and red.

Before autumn arrives all at once, let's enjoy the last bit of greenery of the season...

After walking for a while, you will see Manju Island, Benten Island, and Kannon Island.
This should take about two hours. Someone familiar with the process could probably do it in less than an hour and a half.

Signs indicating the end of the road appear, and the path becomes much easier to walk.

We arrived at the final gate.

In my case, it took a little over two hours to get to this point.

The pace was a little faster than usual because rain was forecast for that day starting in the afternoon.
I had brought outdoor rain gear, so a little rain would be fine, but there was a possibility of the weather getting worse, so I planned to leave a little earlier than planned.

Normally, when planning a stroll around Nakajima Island, it's a good idea to allocate 3 to 4 hours for your schedule.

After that, we used the waiting time for the sightseeing boat to visit the Toya Forest Museum before boarding the return boat.

Summary

This time, I took a walk around the Nakajima Island area of ​​Lake Toya.
Although I'm a local, I've actually only set foot on Nakajima Island once before, when I was a child, so this visit was only my second time!

When locals visit the Lake Toya area, they mostly go for lakeside hot springs, gourmet food, and camping; I think not many people explore Nakajima Island.

But this trekking experience allowed me to connect with Nakajima's almost untouched nature, and I've become completely captivated by its charm.
I visited at the end of summer this time, but next time I'd like to go a little earlier in the season!

[Spot Information]
Lake Toya sightseeing boat
URL:http://www.toyakokisen.com/
Address: 29 Toyako Onsen, Toyako-cho, Abuta-gun
TEL: 0142-75-2137
Flight time/duration:
[Summer (late April to end of October)] 8:00 - 16:30 (every 30 minutes) / approximately 50 minutes (If you disembark at Nakajima, you will need to transfer to the next boat 30 minutes later, which will take approximately 80 minutes)
[Winter (November to early April)] 9:00 AM - 16:00 PM (every 60 minutes) / Approximately 30-45 minutes *Disembarking at Nakajima is not permitted during winter.
Price: Adults 1,420 yen, Children (elementary school students) 710 yen

~Check these out too~
・Let's go for a drive! A roundup of recommended sightseeing spots around Lake Toya!

Please also check out these related articles.

• 

  More delicious rice varieties are available! 7 types of premium rice that Hokkaido is proud of♪

• 

  A bear farm and hot springs are a major draw! Recommended sightseeing spots in Noboribetsu

• 

  20 of Hokkaido's most delicious gourmet foods recommended by local writers! From famous restaurants to personal favorites.

• 

  Japan's northernmost sake brewery, Kunimare Sake Brewery in Mashike | A journey through Hokkaido's finest sake

• 

  Experience the romance of the late Edo period! Here are four ships from Hokkaido.

• 

  A famous spot for autumn foliage! Spend a day surrounded by the vibrant colors of autumn trees at Toyohirakyo Dam♪

• 

  Donan Isaribi Railway "Nagamare Kaikyo" Train Ride Report

• 

  If you're looking for popular sweet potato treats in Obihiro, this is the place! I went to Cranberry's main store♪

Introducing our sister site (please check it out if you're interested)