insights from frontier Japan

‘Lake Toya Sky Cruising,’ a light-helicopter flight that starts from the Silo Observatory and takes in Lake Toya, Mt. Usu and the like, began this season’s operations as of April. A Hokkaido Shimbun Press reporter took a test flight to experience this convenient and enjoyable aerial adventure.

A total of 1,262 runners from throughout Hokkaido and beyond took part in the 48th Toyako Marathon, which was held for the first time in three years in the town of Toyako in the Iburi region of central Hokkaido on May 15. Blessed with clear skies, the participants ran the lakeside course amid the abundant natural environment.

The travel agency JTB partnered with three local tourist associations to offer a Lake Toya circuit tour course in an "open top bus" from April 28 to the end of May.

TOYA TOY BOX, an outdoor guide company in the town of Toya in the Iburi region of central Hokkaido, is offering a rare winter canoeing activity that is proving popular. Winter canoeing is not a standard activity, but TOYA TOY BOX has implemented safety measures such as joining two Canadian canoes together, hoping that visitors will enjoy the tranquility of the area and the beautiful lake, which is clearer than in summer.

From February 4, ‘Toyako Onsen Winter Fireworks 2022’ was held for a limited 10-day period in the hot-spring resort of Toyako Onsen in central Hokkaido, with a total of 250 fireworks lighting up the night sky. Firework displays in the hot-spring resort have a long history, after they began as a way of invigorating the area when it experienced a sharp drop in the number of tourists after the eruption of Mt. Usu. The Toyako Onsen Tourist Association held the event again this year to bring a little light relief to the hot-spring resort, where many hotels have closed due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Nurse Fukushi Minami from the town of Kyogoku in Central Hokkaido’s Shiribeshi area has been offering a mobile sales service for her own medicinal blend teas with recipes based in a medicinal herb theme. On September 9, she opened her own shop called “Cokyuu” in Toyako.

The hot spring districts of Noboribetsu and Toyako are internationally popular Central Hokkaido tourist areas. And a new style of sauna is popping up there that allows users to adjust the temperature and humidity on their own, with an eye on business after the COVID-19 pandemic tapers down.

Accommodation and tourist facilities in the leading central Hokkaido hot-spring resorts of Noboribetsu and Toyako Onsen continue to close in response to the declaration of a state of emergency, issued as a result of the spread of infections from the Covid-19 virus. The Hokkaido government has not issued requests for businesses to suspend their operations but those concerned are disheartened, saying “If a state of emergency is declared, the number of customers decreases so we’re compelled to close”.

The "Toyako Onsen Winter Fireworks Festival" has started. It is lighting up the sky at the Toyako Onsen hot spring district (central Hokkaido). For five minutes from 8:30 every evening, tourists are treated to fireworks and music.