The scenic route linking Lake Mashu and Lake Kussharo through Akan National Park is considered one of Hokkaido's finest autumn drives. Lake Mashu, ranked among the world's clearest lakes, sits within a sheer caldera whose forested rim ignites with orange and red in early October. Nearby Lake Kussharo, Japan's largest caldera lake, offers sweeping shoreline views of autumn-coloured hills descending to the water. The Bihoro Pass observatory above Kussharo provides the most famous panorama, looking across the entire lake basin at the height of colour.
- Type
- Experience
- Category
- Autumn Leaves
- Season
- Autumn
- Month
- Early to Mid October
- Region
- Hokkaido
- Prefecture
- Hokkaido
- City
- Teshikaga
Highlights
- ◆Bihoro Pass panoramic observatory over Lake Kussharo basin
- ◆Lake Mashu crystal-clear caldera in vivid autumn frame
- ◆Akan National Park Yokodan road corridor of autumn colour
- ◆Wild eastern Hokkaido landscape with minimal crowds