| Admission | Free |
| Opening Hours | - |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 0142-82-5076 |
| Notes | Buddhist temple, sightseeing spot, photography spot, historical landmark |
| Location / Getting There | Located on the northern shore of Lake Toya. Can be found just above the road located north of Route 132 23 Toyamachi, Toyako, Abuta District, Hokkaido 049-5802 |
On the northern shore of Lake Toya you can find Toya Temple and a scenic monument of Hokkaido. They are both just off route 132 and there is a road leading up where you can find parking. Toya Temple is a Shinto shrine that offers scenic views over the lake. The public are welcome to walk around the small grounds here where you can appreciate the statues, architecture, and wooden carvings that surround the temple. The doors to the temple itself are often closed but it’s still a nice area to check out. The temple makes for a nice look in if you are taking a stroll around the path that follows the shore.
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The path that winds around the northern part of the lake that includes sightseeing spots such as Ukimido Park, and Toyako Art Museum & park plus the Ko Park Camping Ground. The whole area is dotted with beautiful sculptures. Along the small access road that leads to Toya Temple, you can also find one of the ‘scenic monuments of Hokkaido’. There are three scenic monuments in Hokkaido, with the other two being in Jozankei, and on the small island of Rishiri. These three scenic monuments were selected in 1923 by the Otaru Newspaper which was one of three main papers in Hokkaido at the time.
| Admission | Free |
| Opening Hours | Open 24 hours |
| Contact | - |
| Notes | Sightseeing spot , parking available, short walking trail |
| Location / Getting There | 12 minute drive from Toyako Onsen on the southern edge of Lake Toya Takinomachi, Machi Sobetsu, Usu District, Hokkaido 052-0101 |
The path up past the shrine.
Sobetsu Waterfall can be found on the southern edge of Lake Toya. It is a beautiful waterfall, where you can take a nice walk to its base. You can get some great photos and experience the waterfall up close. To get to the waterfall you need to follow the road down on route 2 keeping Sobetsu river on your left (coming from Toyako Onsen). At the bottom of the hill, make a U-turn and cross over the river and follow the small road keeping the river on your left. There will be parking on the left hand side. Once parked, simply follow the winding path until you reach the waterfall.
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The flowing stream
The walk to the waterfall is a nice stroll and it takes about 8 minutes to get there. On the way you can enjoy the flowing stream and the surrounding trees creating a picturesque scene. The path crosses over the river twice over small bridges. On the way to the falls you can also find a small Buddhist Shrine on the left. With the falls in the background, this small shrine is also a good spot to get some photos. The path reaches a small wooden viewing platform about 10 metres from the falls. This wooden platform can get slippery so make sure you hold on to the rail. Sobetsu Waterfall is a beautiful spot to visit.
| Admission | Free |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 011-511-0262 |
| Notes | Buddhist temple |
| Location / Getting There | Located in central Sapporo, 2 minute walk from Hosuisusukino subway station. 6 minute walk from Susukino & Nakajima park subway station. 1-chōme-2 Minami 6 Jōnishi, Chūō-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 064-0806 |
Nice little garden inside the walls
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Beautiful Japanese style garden
The temple of Shinzenko has over a hundred years of history, being built in 1884. It is here, the teaching of the jodo sect focuses on the “ritual recitation of the Nembutsu” (meaning the follower is opening themselves up to light and salvation). Followers believe this recitation benefits not just the speaker, but the entire world as well. There are three floors inside the temple itself and include up to one thousand burial urns. Throughout the year, the temple has special Buddhist ceremonies on their calendar. Being in the entertainment district, the temple is not a far walk from the Susukino and Nakajima Koen subway stations making it an easy place to access.
| 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.
| Mt Tengu Ropeway | ¥1200 Adult round trip ¥600 Child round trip *discount for groups of 20 or more ¥1500 Adults round trip ticket + ¥800 meal coupon: |
| Opening Hours | 9:30 - 21:00 |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 0134-33-7381 |
| Notes | Observatory, gift shop, restaurants, hiking path, Squirrel park, shrine, snow gallery, Wheelchair access |
| Location / Getting There | Take the Chuo (#9 天狗山ロープウエイ線) bus from Otaru station terminal, or Otaru canal terminal. Get off at "Tenguyama" (last stop). Takes about 15 minutes. 2-chōme-16-16 Mogami, Otaru, Hokkaido 047-0023 |
Great views
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“Tengu” of Japanese folklore
Once alighting the cablecar, you will first enter the gift shop and restaurant, where you can sit and have lunch, dinner or coffee. If you need lockers, there are a few here for ¥500 for the day, and which are cheaper than the lockers at the bottom of the mountain. It is here too, you can see the Otaru Winter Museum, and the Tengu Hall which has fantastic Tengu masks on display. Outside, there is “Nausea’s Tengu”, a giant Tengu sculpture, which if you touch the nose, your wishes will come true. Behind this is a squirrel enclosure (open only during the summer), and a shrine, known as “Tengusan Shrine”. The shrine in the evening is lit by lanterns and is especially beautiful during this time.
One of the observation points
Circling around the top of the mountain is a small hiking path. It takes about 25 minutes to walk around. It is a pleasant walk and while walking around there are a couple of clear vantage points that offer beautiful views over the surrounding area. Finally, for kids and adults there is a downhill bobsled track that runs for 400 meters. The track costs ¥500 for adults and ¥300 for children. The track is closed during bad weather. All this during the summer, and during the winter there is skiing and snowboarding as well! A great place for family and friends.
Impressive views up
To get to the mountain, you can drive or take a bus. Buses leave from Otaru station, and Otaru canal bus terminal. For night viewing, there is an ‘Otaru Nightview Shuttle Bus’ (小樽夜景シャトルバス). This shuttle bus leaves from the the Otaru Grand Park Hotel at 18:50 and 19:20. It does a run through Otaru, stopping further at Hotel Otaru Furukawa, Hotel Sonia, Hotel Nord, Otaru Canal Bus Terminal, The Bank of Japan Otaru Museum, Inaho Jujigai, and the Otaru Train Station Bus Teminal. It operates from the end April until the start of November and costs ¥210 per adult, and ¥110 per child.
| Admission | Free |
| Opening Hours | Open 24 hours |
| Closed | - |
| Contact | 0139-42-2449 |
| Notes | Photography spot |
| Location / Getting There | 6 hour drive from Sapporo or 2 hour bus ride from Hakadote. Matsujo, Matsumae-cho, Matsumae-gun, Hokkaido, Japan 049-1511 |
Peaceful
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Graveyard of the Matsumae Lords
Walking among the stone pathways and moss covered gardens is a real treat. Another feature of this area is the graveyard of the local Matsumae Lords. The trees surrounding the headstones and tombs make for a fantastic setting, with which to wander and take the quiet beauty of the graveyard. There is also a fantastic 200 year old Kechimyaku Sakura (bloodline cherry). The temples are especially beautiful during late April and early May, as the cherry blossoms (with which Matsumae is famous) are in full bloom. Make sure to bring your camera as you stroll through the historic buildings and paths.
