All Reviews of Lake Akan

The Lake Akan sightseeing cruise is a classic activity when visiting Lake Akan. The boat leisurely circles the lake, offering views of majestic mountains and beautiful scenery along the way. It also stops at Churui Island, where you can visit the Marimo Exhibition and Observation Center and learn about Lake Akan's precious marimo up close. The entire trip takes about 85 minutes, with a comfortable pace that doesn't feel rushed.

Surrounded by Mount Oakan and Mount Meakan, Lake Akan offers captivating volcanic lake scenery and is also an important home of marimo and Ainu culture. After the cruise, take a walk along the lakeshore, soak in the Lake Akan hot springs, and sample the local food. It's a leisurely, relaxing trip where you can enjoy nature, culture, and food all at once!

A sightseeing cruise is well worth taking when you visit Lake Akan. Taking your time to look around and explore is the best way to travel here.

Walking on a frozen lake for the first time was honestly pretty mind-blowing. It felt kind of unreal.

Ice fishing was a lot of fun, but whether you actually catch anything really comes down to luck.

The water here is so clear and beautiful. You can't see the marimo from the lakeshore, though.

At Lake Akan, you can go canoeing or walk along the mud volcano trail to see volcanic scenery. There's also an Ainu village where you can check out traditional crafts and try authentic local food. The street is pretty short—just a 20-minute walk—but you'll find unique cafes and amazing handmade crafts. You can really enjoy the beautiful views and get a taste of Ainu culture here.

Lake Akan in winter is amazing! I always tell people that for a honeymoon, you should pick a snowy country to really feel that 'growing old together' vibe. Hokkaido's Lake Akan is a great choice!

Here are ten things you can do in Kushiro and Lake Akan during winter:

1. Hot springs

2. Snowshoeing in Kushiro Wetlands

3. Ride the Kushiro Wetlands SL Winter Train

4. Try 'Katte Don' (DIY seafood bowl)

5. Ice skating

6. Snowmobiling

7. See beautiful red-crowned cranes

8. Ski at Utara near Lake Akan

There's so much more!

The most fun is ice fishing for wakasagi (smelt) on the lake. If you don't catch any, the shop will even give you a plate of fried wakasagi to try!

In winter, you can go smelt fishing right on the lake, and there are shops nearby that will fry your catch for you. You can also ride a banana boat on the ice—super fun! The scenery around the lake is gorgeous in summer, too!

As soon as we arrived at the hotel, our guide told us to change clothes and get ready for some snow activities on the lake—snowmobiles, banana boats, ice fishing, and more. The area was so open that the wind made my ears hurt, but even though it was painful, we still had a blast.

I really love the marimo moss balls at Lake Akan. They're so round and cute—just looking at them is so soothing.