Lake Toya - Hokkaido
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August 8, 2013 - Lake Toya - Hokkaido
Lake Toya is what I would call a normal Ryokan town experience in Hokkaido. Most people stay at a hotel or Ryokan which includes an onsen, kaseki dinner and there is a nice view. The town of Toya Onsen has quite a few attractions, but the better attractions need a car or taxi.
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As this is a small onsen town, many of the hotels have direct access to the lake. This is the view from my room.
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A Kaseke dinner is a nice thing when done well - and thankfully it was on this occasion. This picture does not include the soup or soba noodles. Yes - this is for one person and no I could not eat it all. As it is close to Obon - prices are more expensive than normal. A normal 8 tatami room with a sitting area, dinner and breakfast for a single costs 13,000 Yen. It sounds like a lot - but it's not too bad when you get good service and excellent food.
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Directly opposite my hotel was a pleasure boat which is a nice hour. It leaves every 30 minutes and takes 50 minutes to return. There is an island on which you can embark and walk around - but I caught the last boat of the day so this option was not available to me.
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Every night for summer there is 15 minutes of fireworks. They can be seem directly from many of the hotels - but I suggest you go onto the boulevard as the boat keeps on moving slowly and you can watch the fireworks at a slow stroll. It is also possible to catch a boat to watch the fireworks - but don't ask me how.
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As mentioned previously, Lake Toya has quite a few attractions - most of which require a car to reach such as the ropeway. Due to this - I visited an older part of Toya city which was destroyed during the 2000 eruption. There is a nice walkway which shows the damage close up. I could not get to the better section due to heavy rain the night before making it unsafe to get too - but it was still worth a look.
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Inside filled with volcanic tuff. Don't worry too much about the volcano here - it was the first in the world to be fully evacuated in 1911 and it rarely kills anyone as a result. Visiting the Earthquake Museum (600 Yen - good English information) is worth a look and it's located right next to this walk.
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Lake Toya does not have any really major attractions - but I would call this a good place to just relax and take in the world. The onsen is good (albeit noway near as good as Noborebetsu), the food is good and the location is pretty. I could think of many worse places to spend a night than here. It came in handy as the line between Toya and Sapporo was closed due to the heavy rain so I had to change my plans just on the eve of Obon. As such, I'm no longer going to Abashiri and am stuck in Sapporo. I can always visit one of the many breweries based here....
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