| Shikotsu-Tōya National Park | |
|---|---|
| 支笏洞爺国立公園 | |
 Lake Tōya (October 2007) | |
  Shikotsu-Tōya National Park Location of Shikotsu-Tōya National Park Show map of Hokkaido Shikotsu-Tōya National Park Shikotsu-Tōya National Park (Japan) Show map of Japan | |
| Location | Hokkaidō,Japan |
| Coordinates | 42°40′N141°0′E / 42.667°N 141.000°E /42.667; 141.000 |
| Area | 994.73 km2 (384.07 sq mi) |
| Established | May 16, 1949 |
| Governing body | Ministry of the Environment (Japan) |
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 ofHokkaidō,Japan. Named after the volcanic caldera lakes ofLake Shikotsu andLake Tōya, it has a total area of 993.02 square kilometers. The popularhot spring resorts ofNoboribetsu south of the lake and Jozankei North of the lake are also within the park.
Shikotsu-Tōya National Park is located nearSapporo in the southwestern corner ofHokkaido.[1]
The park can be divided into roughly three areas according to the Japanese Ministry of Environment:
There is also an area aroundJōzan-kei (定山渓),Hōhei Gorge (豊平峡,Hōheikyō), andNakayama Pass (中山峠,Nakayama-tōge) and an area around the hot springs ofNoboribetsu (登別),Orofure Pass (オロフレ峠,Orofure-tōge), andLake Kuttara (倶多楽湖,Kuttara-ko) considered separate areas by others .[citation needed]
The nearest town is Shikotsu Kohan, a small "touristy" town with a visitor center on the lake's western shore, which can be reached by bus.[3]
The park contains mixed forests ofEzo spruce,Sakhalin fir,Mongolian oak,Japanese elm,Siberian dwarf pines and alpine plants such asLabrador tea andblue mountainheath. Animals include brownalpine hares, Hokkaidosquirrels andJapanese deer,Japanese scops owl,black woodpecker,spotbill ducks andtufted ducks,[4] as well asYezo sika deer andEzo red fox.[5]
The area became a national park on May 16, 1949.[2]It has three visitor centers: Lake Shikotsu Visitor Center, Toya Takarada Nature Experience House and Toyako Visitor Center and Volcano Science Museum.[1]
It can be reached viaChitose, Hokkaido city airport and viashinkansen from Tokyo.[6] As of 2024, there are buses from Shin-Chitose Airport and Chitose Station to Shikotsuko Kohan.[3]
