| Height | 1293 m / 4114 ft |
| Length | 11km round trip |
| Hiking Time | Winter - 4 hours to the top Summer - 3 hours to the top |
| Notes | Car needed Cabin available - Free |
| Location / Getting There | Sapporo-dake, Jozankei, Minami Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido Prefecture 061-2301 Take route 230 past Jozankei , turn left heading to Hoheikyo Hot Spring. |
Hike up through winter
For outdoor enthusiasts there is a great hike up to Mt. Sapporo (Sapporo Dake). The views from the 1293m summit are spectacular! You can catch stunning views of Sapporo on one side and on the other, there are views of the inactive volcano, Mt Yotei. The hike is medium and to get to the summit it takes about 4 hours in winter with snowshoes and about 3 in summer. The length is about 6 km from the hike starting point. You will need a car to get to there! (refer to the map to see where the starting point is).
Hiyamizu Hut
The hike can be done in a day but if you are looking for a weekend away, there is a cabin halfway up. The cabin is 2 stories and is decked out with a fireplace, a kitchen area with cups and cooking knives, tables, chairs, a toilet, and oil lamps. The cabin is sometimes locked, but if you are caught out in a blizzard or are in need of shelter the back windows are easy to open. The cabin, known as Hiyamizu Hut is looked after by a local resident and the firewood is constantly stocked up. If you do stay at the cabin then make sure you leave it clean and tidy for the next hikers!
Start of the trail
Lake Shikotsu (Shikotsuko) is located in the Shikotsu–Toya national park. This lake as with Lake Toya, is a caldera lake, which was formed from collapses in the earth after volcanic activity. It has an average depth of 265 metres (869 feet) and a maximum depth of 363 metres (1,191 feet), making it the second deepest lake in Japan. It is encircled by mountains. One being the active volcano, Mount Tarumae, which last erupted in 1981. Most of Shikotsuko is little developed except for Shikotsu Kohan, a small, touristy town with a visitor centre, restaurants, hot springs and a small number of lodgings along the lake’s western shores.
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From here you can rent paddle boats, bicycles and scuba gear to explore the crystal clear waters of Shikotsu. Sightseeing cruises of the lake are offered in glass bottomed boats from mid April to early November. In summer there are camping grounds on the Western and Northern banks and is a great place to camp and relax by the calm waters, have a BBQ, light fireworks and swim in the fresh waters. Hiking is also popular and if you have access to a car you can get to the trailhead of Mount Tarumae. The mountain can be climbed in a steep but short ascent in less than an hour. It is not permitted to enter the crater of Mount Tarumae due to poisonous gases though you can trek around the crater which takes about 2 hours. At the top, the mountain offers impressive views of the deserted crater landscape and over Lake Shikotsuko.
On the northern shore stands MARUKAMA ONSEN. This inn is open to guests and to non-staying visitors. The hots springs are located right on the lake waters and offer a relaxing warm bath while enjoying the outside air and beautiful lake views. Conventional hot spring pools are also inside which are gender separated. On the southern shore Morappu Campsite, is located.
Hours and Fees
Marukoma Onsen (for non-staying guests)
HOURS 10:00 to 15:00
COST 1000 yen
Another site of interest is KOKE NO DOMON or MOSS CANYNON. This gulley with a rich variety of plant life lining its walls is located 10 kilometres south of the lake. There is a platform from which to view this moss covered gulley.
Koke no Domon Moss Canyon
HOURS 9:00 to 17:00 (entry until 16:00)
CLOSED Late October to early June
To get to Shikotsu Lake from Sapporo follow highway 453. This takes about 40 minutes. . In the summer, there is also a bus from Sapporo Terminal. From the New Chitose Airport, it takes about one hour. There are four to six buses daily. It takes about one hour and costs ¥1030. Buses will also stop at Chitose station on the way. It takes about 45 minutes and ¥930 to get from Chitose Station to the lake.
| Admission | – |
| Opening Hours | 10AM - 7PM |
| Closed | Mondays |
| Contact | shugakuso.com +81 11-726-1235 |
| Notes | - |
| Location / Getting There | N12, Chuo Ku. Japan, 〒001-0012 Hokkaido Prefecture, Sapporo, 北区北１２条西３丁目２−１５ |
Entering paradise
Just walking through the doors of the Shugakusou (秀岳荘) in N12, Chuo Ku, Sapporo makes you feel you’re headed for adventure. For Hokkaido outdoor enthusiasts this store is the one-stop supplier, its floors replete with everything needed to explore paradise Earth. Be it a day hike or month-long alpine mission, this compact, densely stocked home store (Hokudai-ten, 北大店) is the best spot on the island to sherpa up. It is a gearhead’s nirvana.
Enter into a thicket of hiking poles, headlamps and gas camp stoves. A long glass display counter to the left displays the newest gizmos for tracking outdoor metrics and location. GPS systems and watches segue into more primitive multi-tools, knives and axes. Beyond that tower stacks of literature, from magazines to guidebooks to topographic maps. Cups and pans, Dutch-ovens and thermoses, freeze-dried dinners and back-packing coffee grinders – it’s all there. No less than 100 bags hang along the back wall, from 70 + liter expedition monsters all the way down to svelte trail running belts.
All the major outdoor brands are carried here.
Leave camping and ascend to the second floor for a full selection of mountaineering gear. Boulder crushing alpine boots to toe crushing climbing shoes stock the shelves. Gaze and be reminded that winter here is a protracted, freezing affair. As one who’s been to countless outfitters, the collection of snow boots and ice studs here rivals much bigger stores. For those who really embrace the cold, Shugakusou carries snowshoes and snow shovels, ice axes and crampons. Rock-climbing supplies are available year round, while a corner of the floor is devoted to skiers from November to April. If only they covered snowboarders as well…
The entire store is festooned with the trappings of world exploration. Take a moment to look at the many maps, paintings and framed photographs adorning the walls. Pat the sea-lion head as you climb the stairs to floor three. Next stop – clothing.
Anyone who’s hiked around Hokkaido knows the locals dress well on the mountain. One could easily drop $500 here – indeed many shoppers spend much more. Most major outdoor brands are featured, ensuring that nature lovers will pitch their tents and shred pow in style. If there’s any place to rationalize spending stupid money on clothes, it’s here. Hypothermia? Sunstroke? Can’t risk it. We all know matching proper attire to the occasion is crucial. So if dropping $140 bucks on a pair of lined pants makes you balk, just tell yourself it could mean the difference between life and death.
Boom! Goodbye guilt.
Top floor!
It’s bad, but I’ve got to default to a cake metaphor now, because the fourth floor can only be described as icing. Bouldering crash pads and jidohanbaiki (自動販売機, vending machine) drinks are the only items for sale up here are. The rest is a space of utility and sport. Bathrooms and the office designate the former, while a no nonsense bouldering room indicates the latter. Set by real climbers, the problems bolted onto the walls of this modest gym range from first timer fun to badass rock ninja. Shugakusou’s commitment to providing a quality training room for climbers has had me coming here for years.
And that’s the crux of it – commitment. For 40 years the company has been committed to providing the best outdoor gear the world has to offer. The staff are knowledgeable and enthusiastic, both in the store and on the trail. Even if you’re not shopping, drop in and get a feel for Hokkaido outdoor culture and history. One of the only real outfitters in a city of upscale shops, it’s the rough in the diamond.
Two other Shugakusou stores exist, one in Shiroishi, Sapporo (白石店) and Asahikawa (旭川店). Link to their homepage for details regarding business hours and merchandise.
