Lake Akan: The Sightseeing Cruise, Marimo and Ainu Kotan

Lake Akan is a forest lake in eastern Hokkaido, ringed by volcanoes, with a hot spring town on its shore and the famous marimo, round balls of algae that grow large only here. The best way to see it is from the water: the sightseeing boat goes around the lake and stops at Churui Island, where you can see the marimo up close. I took the sightseeing boat around the lake, and it showed me a side of Lake Akan you cannot see from the shore.

1Lake Akan sightseeing cruise

The round trip takes about 85 minutes, including the stop at Churui Island, and costs 2,700 yen for adults, which includes entry to the marimo center. Boats run hourly from 8:00 to 16:00 (no noon sailing) from May 1 to November 30, with irregular sailings from mid to late April.

The boats leave from the pier in Akanko Onsen, the hot spring town, and go all the way around the lake. Once you are out on the water the view opens up, and you see mountains and inlets that are hidden from the shore. The boat is steady, and you can go out on deck.

2Churui Island and the marimo

Halfway around, the boat stops at Churui Island, a small island near the middle of the lake, and you get off to visit the Marimo Exhibition and Observation Center. Marimo are a kind of green algae that roll into velvety balls, and Lake Akan is the only place in the world where they grow into large spheres.

Seen in the tanks, they are bigger and more striking than they look in photos. Outside, the water is clear enough to see the bottom in the shallows, and from the shore of the island you look across the lake to Mt. Oakan.

On the way back, you see Mt. Oakan from a new angle and, at the end, the hotels of the hot spring town along the shore.

3Akanko Ainu Kotan

In the hot spring town, Akanko Ainu Kotan is one of the largest Ainu communities in Japan: a street of shops selling wood carvings and embroidery, restaurants, and the Ikor theater, which stages traditional Ainu dance and music, as well as Lost Kamuy, a modern show that tells an Ainu story with dance, music and digital projection. Traditional dance costs 1,500 yen for adults and Lost Kamuy 2,200 yen; check the schedule for the day's times.

4How to get to Lake Akan

Lake Akan is in Akan Mashu National Park, a little over an hour by car from Kushiro Airport and about an hour from Lake Mashu, over mountain roads. From Sapporo it is about 300 kilometers, four and a half to five hours by car. The most scenic approach is Route 241 from the Mashu side, where the road heads straight for Mt. Oakan and the Sogakudai and Sokodai lookouts show the volcanoes and two hidden lakes. Lake Onneto, a small forest lake whose color changes with the light, is a short drive west.

In the town, the pier is on the lakeshore, and there is a paid lakeshore car park nearby (500 yen per visit at the time of writing).

Most visitors fit Lake Akan into a road trip around the lakes of eastern Hokkaido, staying a night in the hot spring town.

Lake Mashu, Lake Kussharo and Lake Akan: A Local's Eastern Hokkaido Road TripA two-night road trip around Lake Kussharo, Lake Mashu and Lake Akan to the Kushiro Wetland, from a Sapporo local who drove it: the order that works, what each lake is like, the boat to the marimo, and weather and driving tips.

5FAQ about Lake Akan

Q1. How long is the Lake Akan cruise?

About 85 minutes for the round trip, including the stop at Churui Island and the marimo center.

Q2. How much is the Lake Akan boat?

2,700 yen for adults, including entry to the Marimo Exhibition and Observation Center.

Q3. When does the Lake Akan cruise run?

From May 1 to November 30, hourly from 8:00 to 16:00 except noon, with irregular sailings from mid to late April.

Q4. Where can you see marimo at Lake Akan?

At the Marimo Exhibition and Observation Center on Churui Island, which you reach on the sightseeing boat.

Q5. Is Lake Akan worth visiting?

Yes, especially if you stay the night: the boat and marimo in the morning, a lakeside onsen, and the Ainu Kotan in the evening.