Toyako Onsen

What to expect

Toyako Onsen is the hot spring town on the south shore of Lake Toya, in Toyako town, south-west Hokkaido. The lake is a caldera about 43 km (27 miles) round, formed by a huge eruption some 110,000 years ago. The tourism association calls it the third-largest caldera lake in Japan and the northernmost that does not freeze, although parts now ice over in hard winters. Four lava-dome islands, together called Nakajima, sit in the middle. Mt. Yotei rises to the north, and the volcanoes Mt. Usu and Showa-shinzan stand to the south, behind the town. The area is part of Shikotsu-Toya National Park and the Toya Caldera and Usu Volcano UNESCO Global Geopark.

The town is young. The tourism association tells the story: during the 1910 eruption of Mt. Usu the ground rose and the lake water nearby warmed to 75°F24°C, and after the activity ended a 108°F42°C spring was found in the lake at the foot of Nishimaruyama. The first inn opened in 1917, and the town marked 100 years of hot springs in 2010. It is a rare case of a natural spring whose birth is on record.

Today it is a strip of large hotels and smaller inns along the lakeshore road, with souvenir shops and a promenade on the water. There is no old public bathhouse at the heart of things, as in many Honshu onsen towns. Day visitors use hotel baths, or the free foot and hand baths along the streets.

Hotel day baths

The Toyako Onsen Tourism Association surveyed day bathing in April 2026. Prices for adults, with children’s prices in brackets:

• Hokkai Hotel: ¥500 (¥300, age 3 and over). 14:00-21:00, last entry 20:00.
• Hotel Grand Toya: ¥600 (¥300). 13:00-21:00, last entry 20:00.
• Toya Kanko Hotel: ¥700 from 7:00 to 9:30 (Panorama Bath only), ¥1,000 from 13:00 to 21:00 (¥500).
• Toya Onsen Hotel Kabi: ¥800 (¥400, age 3 and over). 5:00-9:00 (last entry 8:30) and 12:00-20:00 (last entry 19:30).
• Yutorelo Toyako: ¥1,000 (¥500, age 3 and over). 15:00-20:00, last entry 19:00.
• Toya Kohantei: ¥1,200 (¥600). Main bath and open-air bath 13:00-19:00, last entry 18:00.
• Toyako Manseikaku Hotel Lakeside Terrace: ¥1,200 on weekdays, ¥1,500 at weekends and on holidays (children ¥600 and ¥750). 7:00-10:00 (last entry 9:00) and 13:00-21:00 (last entry 20:00).
• Toya Sun Palace Resort & Spa: ¥2,000 (¥1,500, age 3 and over), including its pool. Weekends, holidays and special periods only, 10:00-15:00, last entry 14:00.

Towels or towel sets cost about ¥100 to ¥400 at most hotels on the list; bring your own to save money. The association warns that details change and asks visitors to check with each hotel. The list does not cover tattoo rules or say whether the water is heated or circulated at each hotel, so ask on the day.

These are hotel baths split by gender, with the usual nude bathing. At the pool at Toya Sun Palace you wear a swimsuit.

Foot baths and hand baths

In 2003 the town placed hand baths in front of hotels and shops. There are now ten, each with a theme and a name, plus two foot baths:

• Toryu-no-yu sits on the lakeside promenade in front of the Toya Kanko Hotel. It is the place to watch the fireworks with your feet in hot water. Open 9:00-22:00 from April 28 to October 31, then 10:00-16:00. Closed October 13 to 30, 2026 for preservative coating work.
• Yakushi-no-yu, in the foot-bath pocket park beside the Toya Sansui Hotel Kafu on Route 2, stands next to a small Yakushi Nyorai hall. Open 9:00-22:00 from April 28 to October 31, then 10:00-20:00.

Both are free. Bring a small towel to dry your feet.

Getting there

• By car from New Chitose Airport: Do-o Expressway from Chitose IC to Abuta-Toyako IC, 109.1 km (68 miles). The association puts the drive at about 1 hour 30 minutes.
• By car from Sapporo: Route 230 via Jozankei and the Nakayama Pass, about 2 hours 10 minutes.
• By car from Hakodate: about 3 hours 20 minutes on Route 5, Route 37 and Route 230, or the Do-o Expressway from Onuma Koen IC (125.7 km).
• By train: the nearest station is JR Toya. Limited expresses take about 1 hour 30 minutes from New Chitose Airport (change at Minami-Chitose) and about 30 minutes from Higashi-Muroran. From Toya Station, Donan Bus runs to Toyako Onsen in about 20 minutes (Donan Bus Toya office 0142-75-2351).
• By bus from Sapporo: Donan Bus runs from JR Sapporo Station to Toyako Onsen in about 2 hours 45 minutes. Seats must be reserved.

The tourist information centre is at 142 Toyako Onsen (0142-75-2446), open 9:00-17:00, with English spoken.

When to go

The baths are open all year. The main season runs from April 28 to October 31. In 2026 the Long Run Fireworks, now in their 45th year, go up over the lake every night of that period at 20:45 for about 20 minutes, about 450 shots a night. They go ahead in rain but are cancelled when the wind is unsafe, as on October 21, 2026. The walking trails on Nakajima island open over the same months; the longest loop is 7.6 km (4.7 miles), about 3 hours, and the gate shuts at 14:30 (14:00 in October). From late autumn, the foot baths switch to shorter hours and an LED illumination tunnel lights the town in winter.

Prices and booking

Hotel day baths need no booking. For overnight stays, factor in the lodging taxes:

• Toyako town lodging tax (from April 1, 2026), per person per night: ¥200 under ¥20,000, ¥500 from ¥20,000 to under ¥50,000, and ¥1,000 from ¥50,000. Children of elementary school age and younger, and school trips, are exempt.
• Hokkaido accommodation tax (also from April 2026) is charged on top of the town’s tax. Rates depend on the room price; Hokkaido’s tax site has a calculator, or ask the hotel.

Where to stay nearby

The lakeshore hotels above all take overnight guests, from large resort hotels to small inns; the tourism association lists its members on its site. Along the road from Sapporo, Jozankei Onsen is a natural stop on Route 230. Noboribetsu Onsen is the next big spa town to the east, and Niseko Goshiki Onsen is a mountain inn in the Niseko range to the north-west.

Safety notes

• Active volcano: Mt. Usu erupts every 20 to 30 years, most recently in 2000. Check the tourism association’s disaster information page before you go and follow any local warnings.
• Hot water: foot bath water can be hot. Test it with your hand before children put their feet in.
• Winter roads: the routes from Sapporo cross the Nakayama Pass. Use winter tyres and allow extra time in snow.
• Heat: keep soaks short, drink water and do not bathe after alcohol.