Summer adventures in Lake Akan! #1 Hiking
July is gonna end soon and the days continue to be severely hot all over Japan.”KAMUY LUMINA" is held in the Lake Akan area in Akan-Mashu National Park, located in the eastern part of Hokkaido. Surrounded by abundant nature, and this area is the perfect summer resort where you can stay cool even in the midsummer season!
And midsummer is the best season playing outside! In fact, you can enjoy many fun outdoor activities in the Lake Akan area! We will introduce you to some of the activities in the area that will allow you to "play hard to the fullest”! Keep checking out new stories on this website!
Hike up Mt. Meakan!
Mt. Meakan is one of the famous active volcanoes in Japan and “Meakan” means "Female Akan," in Japanese. And there is another mountain Mt. Oakan nearby which means “Male Akan”. The Ainu people (indigenous people in Japan) who live in Lake Akan believe that these two mountains are married. And some say that the reason for the continued smoke emission from Mt. Meakan is angry about Mt. Oakan cheating! It is a truly interesting story!
There are three different routes to hike up Mt. Meakan, and we will recommend you the "Akankohan Course" (12.4 km round trip, 5-6 hours), which has less harsh slopes and offers a great view of Lake Akan.
You will start from a 2km trail walk which is covered with a forest of Sakhalin spruce trees, the representative trees of Akan. If you are lucky, you may see Ezo squirrels! The higher the elevation, the higher the Japanese stone pine forest shows up, and a "pine tunnel" with many Japanese stone pine trees growing on both sides of the trail continues until the latter half of the course.
There are a few wide spots along the way where you can take a rest. And look behind! You can enjoy the stunning view of Lake Akan! The buildings in the hot spring resort town look very tiny, so you will feel like you have climbed up to a great height!
After passing through a long tunnel, the scenery changes and you will enter a volcanic world beyond the forest limit! On the way up, you will see a volcanic crater with smoke rising on the right side. Let’s check out the mood of Mt. Meakan! I hope she isn’t mad on that day!
Enjoy the scenery and power of the volcano!
We finally made it to the top of the mountain (elevation 1499m)! Good job! For all your hard work, take your time to enjoy the wide view of the crater that can be seen from the summit! There is another mountain called Mt. Akanfuji on the other side, and there is also a trail to climb there as well, so if you have the time and energy, give it a try!
Take a look inside the crater! There is a blue-coloured spot just looks just like a swimming pool. Actually, this is called "Aonuma," which is “blue pond” in Japanese and it is an acidic pond formed due to the volcano's gasses. If it is a fine day, you can see its beautiful blue color like a tropical sea!
The view from the summit is truly magnificent and beautiful! Seeing the crater "bobbing" in front of you with smoke rising from the crater is truly an unique experience far from other areas in Japan. Hike up Mt. Meakan, explore the volcanic activity from a closer distance than usual, which makes you feel again that the earth is still alive!
Now that we have introduced you to hiking around the active volcano, next time we will take you on a thrilling cycling tour! Stay tuned and check our newest stories!
Advice for Mt. Meakan hiking
Recommended season: Mid-June ~ Mid-October
○ There are no toilets or water stations along the trail, so please be prepared before climbing.
○ Mt. Meakan is an active volcano, so please check the volcano information.
○ Since there are many wild animals in the area, please take your garbage home with you.
○ The weather in the mountains can be very unpredictable, so please consider the weather, your physical fitness, and your body condition when choosing a course and whether climb or not to climb the mountain.
Ticket information
■Where can I buy tickets? How is the opening time?
Tickets are available at the official website, hotels around Lake Akan, "Kamuy Lumina" Ticket Booth, and designated travel agencies.
Fees: Adults (junior high school students and older)
Child (elementary school student)
*Preschool children or below are free of charge.
Official website (Ticket purchase page): https://webket.jp/pc/ticket/index?fc=52386&ac=9000
Starting time changes depending on the sunset time. So be sure to check when planning your trip!
2024 season opening hours:
May 11 (Sat) - August 9 (Fri) 19:30 - 21:00
August 10 (Sat) - August 30 (Fri) 19:00 - 21:00
Asugust 31 (Sat) - September 13 (Friday) 18:30 - 21:30
September 15 (Sun) - September 30 (Mon) 18:00 - 21:30
October 1 (Tue) - November 3 (Sun) 17:30 - 21:00
November 4 (Mon) - November 9 (Sat) 17:30 - 20:30
This special website will provide information not only about "Kamuy Lumina", but also sightseeing information about the town, Lake Akan Onsen, where this event is held. Please check out the latest and seasonal recommendations here.
We will also announce the release of web articles on Facebook and Instagram.
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We hope to meet you soon at the event of "Kamuy Lumina"!
