Surrounded by green, watching the lake calmly floating, listening to birds chirping….
Lake Toya and its surrounding is a popular Hokkaido spot for camping and outdoor enthusiasts.
The Nakatoya Campsite is a beautiful spot for your outdoor stay.
Enjoy nature to the fullest with outdoor activities such as canoeing, bird-watching, horse-riding and many more. Sobetsu offers a variety of places for your outdoor experience, stay either in a tent or a bungalow, it’s your choice!
Sobetsu’s surrounding boasts with hot springs, so be sure to not miss the Nakatoya Campsite if you decided to stay in a tent (hot spring is on site!). Make sure to also check out all other facilities offering a wonderful outdoor and onsen experience in Sobetsu!
Canoeing on Lake Toya – The Ultimate Nature Experience.
Your Adventure begins here!
The Toya Caldera and Usu Volcano Unesco Global Geopark has been the first registered geopark in Japan, and its vast natural heritage such as Toya Caldera, Mount Showa-Shinzan, Volcano Usu and the many geological sites being proof of ancient as well as recent eruptions, are the main attractions that make this geopark a special place to investigate further the environment’s historical heritage. Explore and learn about our ever-changing earth through the park’s valuable geological heritage: hiking on one of the many walking trails along the eruption’s craters and preserved sites lets you experience the volcanic energy.
There are more activities for all ages available in Sobetsu! For instance, do you know Park Golf? Park Golf originates from Hokkaido, and it is a mixture between golf and mini-golf. Sobetsu offers a full-fledged Park Golf course, officially certified from the International Park Golf Association.
Other fantastic activities in Sobetsu include fishing and horse-riding, fruit picking, or just taking it slow with a picnic at one of the sightseeing spots. There are no limits to what the true nature enthusiast can experience here!
Located on a hill with panoramic view of Lake Toya, you can find “Moritoki-no-sato Center”, a rustic facility that provides tent spots, bungalows, a barbecue corner and an astronomical observation dome. Be ready to surround yourself with clean air, no city noise or lights whatsoever, just wilderness and the pitch-black surrounding that leaves you to watch above the starriest night sky Hokkaido has to offer.
〈Photo〉© Keita Maruyama / daily-keitaism.com
Unlike other places in Hokkaido, there is comparably less snow in Sobetsu during the winter. Nevertheless, there is enough snow to do all sorts of fun activities in the wintertime! For instance, Sobetsu has an own Ski resort called “Orofure Resort” – beloved by locals over all generations since the facilities are orientated family friendly – which is just a 20 minutes car ride from the town’s center. It is also possible to rent Ski gear at the facility, so just have a try at skiing!
Once you follow the road to Orofure Pass, there is an observatory deck where on clear days you can see not only over Lake Toya, Lake Kuttara, the Pacific Ocean and Mount Yotei, but also the immediate surroundings of forests with ice-frosted, heavily snow-covered trees. Another great spot is the lakeside of Lake Toya, where the trees are mysteriously bent and frosted together by the lake’s water drops.
