Sign in for a personalized experience.
Travel
Living
A-Z
Forum
Friends
Jobs
Shopping
Hotel Reservations

(check-in)

Car Rentals
Compact cars from around 4,000 Yen/day!
Online Hostel Bookings
Hostels and inexpensive ryokan from $10 per night!

Related Pages
Travel
Sightseeing
Akan National Park

Hot Springs
Ainu

Lake Akan
Lake Masshu
Lake Kussharo
Kawayu Onsen
Iozan (Sulfur Mountain)

Akan: Access and Orientation

Related Questions
Sapporo to Akan Nat. Park in Feb....
 9 reactions, last updated 37 days ago
Cheapest way
 1 reaction, last updated 126 days ago

Japan Sightseeing Guide
Hokkaido
Sapporo
Otaru
Hakodate
Furano
Abashiri
Noboribetsu
Niseko
Lake Toya
Daisetsuzan
Shiretoko
Rishiri Rebun
Akan

Tohoku
Sendai
Matsushima
Hiraizumi
Akita
Kakunodate
Nyuto Onsen
Aomori
Hirosaki
Lake Towada
Shimokita Hanto
Dewa Sanzan
Aizu

Kanto
Tokyo
Yokohama
Kamakura
Nikko
Kinugawa
Hakone
Kawagoe
Kusatsu
Ikaho
Minakami
Narita

Chubu
Nagoya
Inuyama
Mt.Fuji
Fujigoko
Izu Peninsula
Nagano
Matsumoto
Kamikochi
Kiso Valley
Hakuba
Yudanaka
Sado Island
Takayama
Shirakawa-go
Gujo
Gero Onsen
Kanazawa

Kansai
Kyoto
Osaka
Nara
Kobe
Himeji
Kinosaki
Mount Koya
Kumano
Yoshino
Amanohashidate
Hikone
Iga Ueno
Ise Shima

Chugoku
Hiroshima
Miyajima
Onomichi
Okayama
Kurashiki
Matsue
Iwami Ginzan
Iwakuni
Yamaguchi
Hagi

Shikoku
Takamatsu
Kotohira
Naoshima
Matsuyama
Uchiko
Kochi
Tokushima
Naruto

Kyushu
Fukuoka
Dazaifu
Nagasaki
Kumamoto
Mount Aso
Minamata
Beppu
Miyazaki
Takachiho
Kagoshima
Kirishima
Yakushima

Okinawa
Honto
Miyako
Yaeyama

Survey
How would you rate your experiences staying at Japanese hotels/ryokan?
Very good
Good
Neither good nor bad
Bad
Very bad
Never stayed at one
see results
Other Surveys:
Budget for ryokan stay
Next trip to Japan
Improvements to Tourism
Financial Crisis
Ski Destination
Preferred way to stay at a ryokan
Purpose of visit
Most popular region
Have you recently entered Japan?

japan-guide.com newsletter
Keeping you up to date on Japan travel and living related issues and site updates. Click here to subscribe!

Sponsored Listings
Car Rental
The cheapest rates in Japan!
Tour Packages
Guided and individual tour plans.
Japan - Order FREE Brochure!
About vacation plans and specialty travel.

Home - Travel - Sightseeing Guide - Hokkaido - Akan National Park
Lake Kussharo (Kussharoko)
# 3   of 5 sights
in Akan National Park

Lake Kussharo is a beautiful caldera lake in Akan National Park. With a circumference of 57 kilometers it is the park's largest lake. Various outdoor activities, such as fishing, hiking, kayaking and cycling, can be enjoyed around the lake.

A further attraction are several outdoor hot spring baths (rotenburo) which are located along the lake's shores and can be used for free and, unlike most other hot spring baths in Japan, in swim suits. Note, however, that some of these baths do not look very clean.

A particularly nice spot to visit is the Wakoto Peninsula at the lake's southern end. The peninsula offers attractive walking trails through the forest, two more outdoor baths and some sulfurous vents at its tip.

Sightseeing Spots:

Sunayu Beach
Hours: Always open
Admission: Free
This sand beach hides hot spring water just below its surface. Visitors can scoop out a hole in the sand and soak their feet while enjoying views of the lake. There are benches along the beach and the parking area has a few food stalls with refreshments.

Ainu Folklore Museum
Hours: 9:00 to 16:30
Closed: December 16 to January 15
Admission: 400 yen
English: Moderate
Interesting displays and artifacts highlight various aspects of Ainu life, language and culture.

Public Baths:

Ikenoyu Open Air Bath
Hours: Always open
Admission: Free
Ikenoyu Rotemburo is a lakeside, open air bath with nice views of Lake Kussharo. The bath is gender mixed and has limited changing facilities and privacy.

Kotan Open Air Bath
Hours: Always open
Admission: Free
This rustic bath is so close to the lake that it gives bathers the sensation of bathing in the lake itself. Sunsets are supposed to be nice from this bath. The changing facilities are limited, and the men's bath is separated from the women's bath only by a low stone wall.

Wakoto Peninsula Open Air Bath
Hours: Always open
Admission: Free
An outdoor bath (rotemburo) on the Wakoto Peninsula offers a nice view of the lake and relative seclusion. However, the water levels are sometimes low and the water dirty, making it somewhat unappealing in appearance. The bath is gender mixed.

Wakoto Peninsula Indoor Bath
Hours: Always open
Admission: Free
This small indoor bath is located in a wooden hut along the walking trail that leads around the Wakoto Peninsula. It is pleasantly secluded, but not always well maintained. The bath is gender mixed.

How to get there
Public transportation around Lake Kussharo is virtually non existent. The best means of transportation to get around are a rental car or a bicycle.

How to get to and around Akan National Park

Travel Community
Popularity of Lake Kussharo:
Users who have been to Akan National Park: 100
Users who have been to Lake Kussharo: 46

3rd of 5 most visited sights in Akan National Park.
293rd of 554 most visited sights nationwide.

Have you been to Lake Kussharo?

Ratings for Lake Kussharo:
japan-guide.com Rating:
  interesting  
User Rating (by 18 users):
71/100
  recommended

User Feedback
We strive to keep japan-guide.com up-to-date and accurate, and are always looking for ways to improve the user experience. If you have any updates, suggestions, corrections or opinions, please let us know:

Tours and Packages
World Heritage Shiretoko & Eastern Hokkaido Tour
A 4-day package tour that takes visitors to see some of Hokkaido's many natural treasures.

Asian-inspired
Plasma TV Stands
Copyright © 1996-2009 japan-guide.com All rights reserved - Last Page Update: August 14, 2009
home - site map - privacy policy - terms of use - contact - L‚ɂ‚¢‚Ä - advertising