is a volcanic

caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcano eruption. When large volumes of magma are erupted over a short time, structural support for the rock above the magma chamber is ...

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

in Shikotsu-Toya National Park, Abuta District,

Hokkaidō is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. It is part of "Toya Caldera and Usu Volcano Global Geopark" which joins in

Global Geoparks Network UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGp) are geoparks certified by the UNESCO Global Geoparks Council as meeting all the requirements for belonging to the Global Geoparks Network (GGN). The GGN is both a network of geoparks and the agency of the United Nati ...

. The

stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and per ...

Mount Usu is an active stratovolcano in the Shikotsu-Toya National Park, Hokkaido, Japan. It has erupted four times since 1900: in 1910 (which created Meiji-shinzan 神沼克伊,小山悦郎 ''日本の火山を科学する　日本列島津々浦々、 ...

lies on the southern rim of the caldera. The lake is nearly circular, being 10 kilometers in diameter from east–west and 9 kilometers from north–south. The town of Tōyako comprises most of the area surrounding the lake and the town of Sōbetsu is located on the eastern side. Lake Tōya 3D 2012

Lake Tōya is said to be the northernmost lake in Japan that never ices (with competing claim by nearby

Lake Shikotsu is a caldera lake in Chitose, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is a part of the Shikotsu-Toya National Park. Geography Lake Shikotsu is located in the south-west part of Hokkaidō. It has an average depth of and a maximum depth of , making it the sec ...

), and the second most transparent lake in Japan. Nakajima Island (not to be confused with another island of the same name in

Lake Kussharo is a caldera lake in Akan National Park, eastern Hokkaidō, Japan. As with many geographic names in Hokkaidō, the name derives from the Ainu language. It is the largest caldera lake in Japan in terms of surface area, and sixth largest lake ...

) is a

recursive island A recursive island or lake is an island or a lake that lies within a lake or an island. For the purposes of defining recursion, small continental land masses such as Madagascar and New Zealand count as islands, while large continental land masses ...

in the middle of the lake which houses the ''Tōya Lake Forest Museum''. Lake Tōya was called ''Kim'un-to'' (キムウン (kim'un) means "in the mountain"Batchelor, John. (1905) ''An Ainu-English-Japanese Dictionary'' (Second ed.). Tokyo: Methodist Publishing House and ト (to) means "lake") by the Ainu. In the

Meiji era The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization b ...

, Japanese pioneers named the lake ''Tōya'' after the Ainu expression ''to ya'', which means "lakeshore, land around a lake." The 2008 G8 Summit was held at Lake Tōya and

The Windsor Hotel Toya Resort & Spa is a resort hotel located in Tōyako, Abuta, Hokkaidō, Japan. Managed by The Windsor Hotels International, the Windsor Hotel Toya Resort & Spa was the main conference site of 34th G8 summit, which was the fifth G8 summit to take place in J ...

Lake Toya's surroundings

Surrounding the lake, there are numerous parks as well as walking trails, such as the Waterfront Forest Lane (Takarada Nature Observation Trail) and the Nishiyama Sanroku Crater Trail. Several

onsen In Japan, are the country's hot springs and the bathing facilities and traditional inns around them. As a volcanically active country, Japan has many onsens scattered throughout all of its major islands. There are approximately 25,000 hot ...

managed by the town of Toyako offer a view of the lake. There are also a number of hand and footbaths nearby. Uniquely, large vending machines near the onsen offer spring water that can be taken to be used at home.

Gallery

File:130922 Toyako Onsen Toyako Hokkaido Japan01s3.jpg, Lake Toya and Nakajima (September 2013) File:Mt Tonoshikenupuri.JPG, Nakajima seen from Mt. Poromoi (May 2009) File:Touya-ko01.jpg, Lake Toya with calm surface (August 2007) File:Hokkaido-Toya Lake-xl.jpg, Lake Toya in winter File:ToyakoViewFromToyakoOnsen.JPG, View from near Toyako Onsen (September 2008) File:Lake-toya、洞爺湖浮見堂公園.jpg, Ukimido Park on the northern shore of the lake (June 2006) File:Lake Toya 20140808.jpg, Lake Toya and Nakajima (August 2014) File:Touya nakajima.monuments.jpg, Monument located on Oshima (Nakajima) in Lake Toya (June 2022) File:Hakubutsukanmae.jetty.jpg, Pier in front of the museum (June 2022) File:Nakashima.mizuuminomorihakubutsukan.jpg, Nakajima Lake Forest Museum (June 2022)

In popular culture

* The setting of the 2012 film ''

Bread of Happiness is a 2012 Japanese drama film directed by Yukiko Mishima and starring Tomoyo Harada, Yo Oizumi and Kanna Mori. ''Bread of Happiness'' was first released in cinemas located in Hokkaido on 21 January 2012, and was subsequently released in other J ...

'' is on the shores of the lake. *In the manga and anime ''

Gintama is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hideaki Sorachi. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from December 2003 to September 2018, later in ''Jump Giga'' from December 2 ...

'', is engraved on the

Bokutō A ''bokken'' (, , "wood", and ''ken'', "sword") (or a ''bokutō'' ) is a Japanese wooden sword used for training in kenjutsu. It is usually the size and shape of a ''katana'', but is sometimes shaped like other swords, such as the ''wakizashi'' ...

of the main character

Gintoki Sakata is a fictional character in the manga and anime franchise ''Gin Tama'' created by Hideaki Sorachi. Gintoki is the protagonist of the series and his name serves as part of the basis of the series' title. He is introduced as a former rebel samurai ...

(坂田銀時, Sakata Gintoki). *It is the model for Lake Kiriya in the anime '' Celestial Method''. *Lake Verity in ''

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl and are 2006 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. They are the first installments in the fourth generation of the Pokémon (video game series), ''Pokémon'' v ...

'' and

Pokémon Platinum is a 2008 role-playing video game developed by Game Freak, published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. It is an enhanced version of ''Pokémon Diamond'' and ''Pearl'' and is part of the fourth g ...

is based on this lake as the Sinnoh region is a fictionalized version of Hokkaido.

References

*
Geographical Survey Institute
last access 28 May 2008

External links

Guide of Lake Toya

Toya Usu Geopark

- Geological Survey of Japan Calderas of Hokkaido Volcanic crater lakes Shikotsu-Tōya National Park Lakes of Hokkaido VEI-7 volcanoes Pleistocene calderas {{Japan-protected-area-stub

Lake Toya's surroundings

Gallery

In popular culture

See also

References

External links