| Admission | ¥300 adults ¥200 high school students ¥100 children Free for Toyako townspeople |
| Opening Hours | 10:30 - 16:30 |
| Closed | Mondays November to March |
| Contact | 0142-87-2525 |
| Notes | Local art gallery, parking available, wheelchair access |
| Location / Getting There | Located on the northern side of Lake Toya. 3 minute walk from Toya Mizu-no-eki (Toyasui Station). 35-17 Tōyakoonsen, Toyako, Abuta-gun, Hokkaido 049-5721 |
The Toyako Art Museum is a small art museum that can be found by the northern shores of Lake Toya. The museum predominantly displays works from local artists. They have works from sculptors, painters, photographers, and writers. Inside the lovely rooms, there is a collection of first edition books, plus limited edition books from modern and contemporary writers. There is also works of the Village International Sculpture Biennale on display. Whilst looking at the artworks, viewers can also get nice views from the windows that look out directly across the lake.
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Throughout the year, the Toyako Art Museum holds a variety of events, including special exhibitions and mini concerts. Besides the Toyako Art Museum, you can also find a nice little park across the road. The park is home to a historical landmark, being the monument of Okubo Jinnojo. Okubo Jinnojo was a statesman, born in 1849 in Shikoku. He, among other things, used his money for pioneering Hokkaido, especially in the Toya district. To get to the museum and park, you can take a bus from Toyako Onsen bus terminal bound for Toya Mizu no Eki (Toyasui Station). Get off at Toyasui station and it’s a three minute walk from there.
| Cost per night | ¥2000 large tent ¥700 small tent |
| Open | April - November |
| Closed | Winter |
| Contact | - |
| Notes | Lakeside campsite, Washing area, Toilets, Parking, Summer night time fireworks |
| Location / Getting There | Located on the northern side on Lake Toya. 2 hour drive from Sapporo 100 Tōyamachi, Toyako, Abuta-gun, Hokkaido 049-5802 |
Lake Toya is a beautiful lake that can be found in the southern area of Hokkaido. It is about a two and a half hour drive from Sapporo. The lake is famous for its pristine waters, local wilderness, and its volcano which lies dormant to the south of the lake. The volcano being Mt Usu. There are couple of camp grounds by the shores of Lake Toya which are fantastic spots to set up your tent. The Hagi Park Camp Ground is one of these. The camping area is large and there is plenty of space with spectacular views all overlooking the lake. The campground has toilets, parking, and sinks with running water to clean up.
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The camping ground has a small river running through it leading out to the lake. It’s here you can find some of the local residents paddling around. The swans like to feed here and it’s a good spot to get some photos! The grounds surrounding the whole lake has sculptures all through it, and at the Hagi Park Ground you can find some great pieces of art. During the warm summer months you can see (and hear) the fireworks show that is held daily across the other side of the lake. On setting up your tent at the site, friendly staff will do the rounds and you can pay the going rate for the tents. There is no office here. Hagi Park Camp Ground is the perfect spot to get away.
| Admission | - |
| Opening Hours | Open 24 hours |
| Contact | - |
| Notes | Sightseeing spot , parking available, rest rooms available, walking trails |
| Location / Getting There | Located along route 452 in the Ashibetsu province, between Yubari and Ashibetsu. 30 minute drive from Furano, 20 minute drive from Ashibetsu. 1 hour 30 minute drive from Sapporo. Ashibetsu, Hokkaido 075-0000 |
The path down to the falls
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The falls during summer
The river in question is the Ashibetsu River. It flows for sixty kilometres, and runs through to the city of Ashibetsu itself. The Sandan Falls can be found around halfway along the Ashibetsu river not far from the park. The falls can range from a small trickle to a raging torrent during spring after the snowmelt. The river is especially beautiful during the spring with a couple of cherry blossoms and in autumn with the foliage along the river. Sandandaki Park has restrooms next to the parking lot, and there are benches to take a seat and enjoy the view.
| Admission | Free admission |
| Opening Hours | All day |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 0142-75-2446 |
| Notes | Walking esplanade, foot spas, ferry point, photo spot, fireworks viewing point |
| Location / Getting There | Located on the southern shore of Lake Toya, between the lake and the hotels 049-5721 Hokkaido, Abuta-gun, Toyako, Tōyakoonsen, Route 2 |
Nice walk along the path
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Perfect spot to take rest
As the path can take you on a long stroll, there is a place along the way to rest those weary feet. There is a small foot bath, the ‘Toron Foot Spa’ where you can take a seat, bathe your feet in the hot spring and take in the views of the lake. The footbath is free to use. It is also, along this road, you can take the ferry to the inner island of Lake Toya, known as ‘Nakanoshima’. The ferry makes the short journey across every thirty minutes. There is also a boat rental spot on the waters edge if you feel like exploring the lake a little further.
| Admission | Free |
| Opening Hours | Open 24 hours |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 011-621-0453 |
| Notes | Various shrines in park, restrooms in park, sightseeing spot, Hokkaido Shrine, parking available |
| Location / Getting There | Located in west Sapporo. 5 minute walk from Maruyama subway station 3 Miyagaoka, Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido 064-0959 |
Kaitaku Shrine
There are three main parks in the city of Sapporo, Odori park, Nakajima park, and Maruyama Park. Completed in 1957, Maruyama Park (known as Maruyama Koen) is a popular park, and is a great sightseeing spot, as it is home to almost a dozen shrines of various sizes. The largest and most popular of these being Hokkaido Shrine. In its large area of 68 hectares, you can also find Maruyama Zoo plus Maruyama sports stadium and baseball field. The entrance to the hiking track up Maruyama can be found across from Maruyama Park.
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Cherry blossom season
The park is beautiful in all seasons, though it is most popular during the cherry blossom season at the start of May. With over 1500 sakura trees, thousands of locals flock to the park and enjoy the hanami (cherry blossom festival). The park is divided into two main parts, the main entrance can be found at the lower section. Taking the stone stairways up and under the huge torii (Japanese gate) will bring you to most of the shrines, the cherry blossom trees during spring, and Hokkaido Shrine, and Maruyama Zoo.
The park is a great spot to take a stroll, have a picnic, and take in the sights.The park contains virgin forest of various trees including Oak, Magnolia, Maple and Katsura (Japanese Judas tree). The park is a designated natural monument. and on the hillside of the park, there are giant Elm and Cypress trees.
| Admission | Free admission |
| Opening Hours | All day |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 0139-42-2275 |
| Notes | Parking available 175 cars, Toilets, Wheelchair access & toilets. Matsumae Sakura Festival (late April-mid May) Matsumae Ajisa Festival (early August) |
| Location / Getting There | 6 hour drive from Sapporo or 2 hour bus ride from Hakadote, get off at "Matsujo Bus Stop", 7 minutes on foot. Matsujo, Matsumae-cho, Matsumae-gun, Hokkaido, Japan 049-1511 |
The extensive Matsumae Park
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The path running through the park
Besides the cherry blossoms the park has other flowers that bloom throughout the summer and spring. Camellias come out from April to May, dandelions & azaleas in mid-May. In early June, wisterias are in bloom, and from July you can see hydrangeas & roses in the park. There is a path that runs through all the way up to a second park at the back and to the base of the mountains. It is well worth a walk up as at the top you can enjoy great views looking over the whole of Matsumae Park and the Strait of Tsugaru. There are two festivals held in Matsumae park, the first is the Matsumae Sakura Festival which is held from late April to mid May. The second is the Matsumae Ajisa Festival in early August.
