by Nicola, staff writer of japan-guide.com
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After yesterday's koyo tour in Lake Akan fell somewhat short of expectation, today we continued our colour hunt inside Akan National Park. In search of better shades and brighter hues, we headed northeast to the park's two other famous lakes, Mashuko and Kussharoko.
Lake Mashu was the first stop. While not regarded to be an exceptional koyo spot, it is nevertheless well known for its brilliant clear-blue colour.
Today, fast moving clouds passed overtop of the water and the shoreline, occasionally obscuring the blue waters and yellowish-gold hued koyo. Most of the deciduous trees were still green, indicating that the season has not quite arrived. However, there were definite signs of promising colouration at both of the two designated viewing spots.
Our next stop was Mt. Io, or Iozan. Again, this "sulfur mountain" is not listed among the typical koyo spots, but we stopped by anyway to admire the steaming sulfuric vents in the mountainside.
The smell of sulfur pierces the air at Iozan and steam pours out of the rocky hillside. To our surprise, a line of bright red leaves framed either side of this phenomenal steaming sight. These two narrow lines of crimson-coloured trees offered the deepest and most impressive shades of the day.
As the sky clouded over and the afternoon crept on, we arrived at Lake Kussharo. It is possible to drive around a good portion of Lake Kussharo, and several open air baths (rotemburo) located along the way make this an appealing choice.
In terms of autumn colours, Lake Kussharo offered some really nice views as well. The shoreline is just beginning to turn gold, and a few eager trees have also deepened into red. With all of the lakeside rotemburo, I imagine peak koyo season to be especially appealing in combination with the outdoor baths. It was probably the most promising koyo spot of the day, though the colours were not yet at their peak
Lake Kussharo was our last stop inside Akan National Park and concludes the fall colours report from this location. Tomorrow we will head northeast to report from Shiretoko National Park.
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