Shikotsu-Tōya National Park

Shikotsu-Tōya National Park
支笏洞爺国立公園
IUCN category II (national park)
Lake Tōya (October 2007)
Location of Shikotsu-Tōya National Park in Japan
Location	Hokkaidō, Japan
Coordinates	42°40′0″N 141°0′0″E / 42.66667°N 141.00000°ECoordinates: 42°40′0″N 141°0′0″E / 42.66667°N 141.00000°E
Area	993.02 km²
Established	May 16, 1949
Governing body	Ministry of the Environment

Shikotsu-Tōya National Park (支笏洞爺国立公園 Shikotsu Tōya Kokuritsu Kōen) is a national park in the western part of the island of Hokkaidō, Japan. Named after the volcanic caldera lakes of Lake Shikotsu and Lake Tōya, it has a total area of 993.02 square kilometers. The popular hot spring resort of Noboribetsu is also within the park.

It can be divided into roughly five areas:

Mount Tarumae as seen from Lake Shikotsu

• The Mount Yōtei area
• The area around Lake Tōya, Mount Usu and Shōwa-shinzan (Tōya Caldera and Usu Volcano Geopark)
• The area around the hot springs of Noboribetsu (登別), Orofure Pass (オロフレ峠 Orofure-tōge), and Lake Kuttara (倶多楽湖 Kuttara-ko)
• The area around Lake Shikotsu (支笏湖 Shikotsu-ko), Mount Tarumae (樽前山 Tarumae-zan), and Mount Eniwa (恵庭岳 Eniwa-dake)
• The area around Jōzan-kei (定山渓), Toyohira Gorge (豊平峡 Toyohira-kyō), and Nakayama Pass (中山峠 Nakayama-tōge)

Notable features

At the foot of Mount Tarumae on the north-west side one can find the impressive moss-covered cavern or Koke-no-domon.

Mt.Yotei

Lake Toya

Noboribetsu hot spring

Lake Shikotsu

External links

• Shikotsu-Toya National Park Biodiversity Center of Japan

• Tōya Usu Geopark (English, Japanese)