Akan National Park Travel: Lake Kussharo (Kussharoko)

Travel

Living

A-Z

Forum

Jobs

Friends

Shopping

Food

Home - Travel - Sightseeing Guide - Hokkaido - Akan National Park

Lake Kussharo (Kussharoko)

of 5 most visited sights
in Akan National Park

jump to: access - ratings

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 17:00
Closed: November to Late April
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.

Any Questions? Ask them in our question forum.

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

Google Map

Advertisement

User Ratings

Ratings for Lake Kussharo:

japan-guide.com Rating:		interesting
User Rating (by 52 users):	72/100	recommended

Best rated sights nationwide (out of 725):

607. Kakunodate Castle (Kakunodate) 72/100

608. Kanazawa Castle (Kanazawa) 72/100

609. Samurai District (Hirosaki) 72/100

610. Tamaudun (Okinawa Island) 72/100

611. Mikimoto Pearl Island (Ise Shima) 72/100

612. Lake Kussharo (Akan National Park) 72/100

613. Kashihara Shrine (Asuka) 71/100

614. Tenninkyo Onsen (Daisetsuzan) 71/100

615. Akasaka Sacas (Tokyo) 71/100

616. Todoroki Valley (Tokyo) 71/100

Most visited sights nationwide (out of 836):

336. Fuji Visitor Center (Fuji Five Lakes) 159

337. Mampukuji Temple (Uji) 158

338. Aoi Matsuri (Kyoto) 158

339. Minoo Park (Osaka) 156

340. Prison Museum (Abashiri) 155

341. Lake Kussharo (Akan National Park) 155

342. Nakamachi (Matsumoto) 155

343. Nakagusuku Castle (Okinawa Island) 153

344. Shorenin Temple (Kyoto) 152

345. Daikakuji Temple (Kyoto) 152

User Feedback

Related Pages

Travel
Sightseeing
Akan National Park

Hot Springs
Ainu

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

Akan: Access and Orientation

News and Reports

June 29, 2011
Eastern Hokkaido Report Trip
by schauwecker

Related Questions

Lake Akan to Bihoro
1 reaction, last updated 90 days ago
JR pass useful? In hokkaido
1 reaction, last updated 98 days ago
Buses to and from Lake Akan
1 reaction, last updated 115 days ago
Bus service to lake Kussharo
8 reactions, last updated 123 days ago
Lake Akan-mashu day tour Feb 2013
1 reaction, last updated 133 days ago
Sounkyo and Lake Akan
3 reactions, last updated 243 days ago
Transportation to Mashuko in winter
1 reaction, last updated 272 days ago
Akan Yukunosato Tsuruga, bugs and bus?
4 reactions, last updated 417 days ago
Akan Bus from Kushiro to Lake Akan in...
1 reaction, last updated 597 days ago
Mashiko autumn festival?
2 reactions, last updated 612 days ago
Akan Rinrin bus schedule
5 reactions, last updated 703 days ago
Lake Akan Tohokan Hotel
1 reaction, last updated 883 days ago
Bus to Mashuko in Hokkaido
3 reactions, last updated 966 days ago
Mashu lake , Mt Io and kussharo lake
2 reactions, last updated 1213 days ago
Whooper Swans at Lake Kussharo in March?
5 reactions, last updated 1218 days ago
Sapporo to Akan Nat. Park in Feb.
10 reactions, last updated 1224 days ago
Driving within Kushiro and Lake Mashu
1 reaction, last updated 1266 days ago
Kushiro to Lake Akan bus schedule/fare
2 reactions, last updated 1268 days ago
Lake Akan Fireworks
2 reactions, last updated 1271 days ago
Cheapest way
1 reaction, last updated 1415 days ago

Travel		Living	Japan A-Z		Community
Sightseeing Accommodation Transportation Shopping	Essentials Regions Prefectures Cities	Working Studying Living Cost Apartments	Arts and Crafts Entertainment History Religion	Etiquette Food Language Tradition	Question Forum Classifieds Trip Reports Member Area

Sightseeing Guide
Hokkaido Sapporo Otaru Hakodate Noboribetsu Niseko Furano Daisetsuzan Shiretoko more...	Tohoku Sendai Matsushima Hiraizumi Hachimantai Hirosaki Lake Towada Dewa Sanzan Aizu more...	Kanto Tokyo Yokohama Kamakura Hakone Nikko Kawagoe Kusatsu Narita more...	Chubu Nagoya Mount Fuji Izu Peninsula Matsumoto Kiso Valley Takayama Shirakawa-go Kanazawa more...	Kansai Kyoto Osaka Nara Kobe Himeji Mount Koya Kumano Ise Shima more...	Chugoku Hiroshima Miyajima Okayama Kurashiki Tottori Matsue Iwakuni Hagi more...	Shikoku Takamatsu Kotohira Naoshima Matsuyama Kochi Tokushima Naruto Iya Valley more...	Kyushu Fukuoka Nagasaki Kumamoto Mount Aso Beppu Kagoshima Kirishima Yakushima more...	Okinawa Honto Kume Miyako Yaeyama