The splendor of a seaplane taking-off from the surface of Lake Toya can be seen in the town of Toyako in Central Hokkaido. Instead of wheels, the aircraft is fitted with boat-shaped floats and, as the engine roars, the plane accelerates across the surface of the water before gently ascending. Kutchan resident and Australian national Ben Kerr – a real estate company CEO and vice president of the Kutchan Tourism Association – has based his private leisure flights at Lake Toya since early August. The aircraft is a 2-seater single propeller plane built in America. There are cases of seaplanes being used in Japan by the Maritime Self Defense Force, but examples of private use are rare.