Hokkaido Trip: Day 3 @ Lake Toya

The picturesque Lake Toya.

Day 3: 30th June 2017 (Friday)

The night at Otaru was a chilly one as I headed out to a 7-11 store nearby to get some midnight snacks. We headed back to the hotel early as the sky turned dark. There are not so much activities in Otaru to keep yourself occupied at night so eating supper and relaxing at the hotel will be the right thing to do. The next morning, we had simple breakfast provided by the hotel before we embarked our journey to Lake Toya. The hotel we stayed for the night is Smile Hotel, Otaru which includes simple breakfast buffet consists of some pastries, croissant, bread, coffee and tea.



Off we go to Lake Toya!

Our journey was really an eye opener one as we got to see beautiful scenery throughout the journey.


We saw this majestic view of a mountain and stopped at the roadside briefly just to take a photo with it. Not to mention there are many beautiful vegetable plantations and farms in Hokkaido so it's a norm sight while you are travelling between provinces.

We arrived at Lake Toya after about 2 hours drive.

Lake Toya (洞爺湖, Tōyako) is part of the Shikotsu-Toya National Park. In addition to the lake itself, the Toyako region features hot springs and an active volcano, Mount Usu, which last erupted in the year 2000. The area also offers many fishing, hiking, and camping opportunities.

We took a touristy photo with the signage by using the tripod.





We had lunch at Shikotsu Toya National Park Observatory itself after finishing with our sight seeing and photo taking.


Japanese curry rice and miso ramen soup.


Also bought some artistry souvenirs from the observatory park.

Then we drove to a small park nearby just to get a closer look at the lake itself.


And more photos of course!

We dropped our luggage at our hotel, Grand Village Toya Daiwa Ryokan Annex, which is located strategically overseeing the blue ocean-like natural lake. During summer, the lake even features a fireworks show so hotel guests can enjoy the show from the hotel room.

After dropping our luggage, we walked to a foot spa nearby and bought our tourist ship tickets at the counter just next to the harbour.

Arrival of tourist ship.

This is how our hotel room looks like! Traditional Japanese Tatami style room is a plus point of this hotel.

The scenic view you get from our hotel room, which is absolutely breathtaking. The lake looks like an ocean from here.

I felt so lucky to be able to book this hotel... because I can just stare at this view for a very long time.


One of the many reasons to book this hotel is the natural hotsprings (onsen)!

It's a public onsen divided into male and female section with bathing facilities, dressing room and toilet as well. You need to shower thoroughly before dipping yourself into the onsen pool.

They also provide cute Japanese bath robe for your to wear before and after your hotspring experience at the hotel. In the onsen area, it's a must to be completely naked and wash yourself clean at the bathing area before soaking your body into the pool.


Early dinner at a restaurant nearby.


We went back to the hotel right after dinner to wait for the fireworks show!

Video will be posted shortly!
Next post will be about Hakodate, my favourite city in Hokkaido!