Lake Akan

On the approach to Lake Akan, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’re driving deeper and deeper into the Hokkaido wilderness, with no prospect of escape – the forest is untouched, primordial, and beautiful. All of a sudden, however, you’ll be spat out of the cool, shady woods into a bustling tourist trap of a village – Akan-kohan Village 阿寒湖畔 – on the southern shoreline of the lake. Expect small shops selling Ainu trinkets and carvings, alongside colossal hotels. It’s a nice enough village to wander around though, and a great opportunity to get a glimpse into one of the main Ainu cultural hubs of Hokkaido.

• Northeast access restrictions: Vessels (including paddlecraft) without permits are not permitted in Churui Bay チュウルイ湾 (location) nor Kinetanpe Bay キネタンペ湾 (location) in the far northeast corner of the lake. This is to protect endangered marimo moss-balls in the area (see Section 2-I 1 (1)/(2) of the Akan National Park Akan Area Management Plan). Note that while motorized vessels without permits are prohibited to enter the wider National Park Special Protection Zone 国立公園特別保護地区 in the northeast, this restriction does not apply to non-motorized vessels (see details here). See our topomap with zoning details here, and the official Ministry of Environment map here (high-resolution version here).
• Southeast access restrictions: The large tourist ferry and sightseeing motorboats launch from multiple locations along the Akan-kohan Village shoreline here. In correspondence with the Ministry of Environment Lake Akan Management Office (location) and Akan Nature Center (location), we were informed that paddlecraft should avoid crossing tourist ferry routes during ferry operation hours (daily, 8am-5pm). Therefore, paddlers seeking to paddle the southern shoreline should do so before 8am or after 5pm – see our map with ferry routes here. Note that smaller sightseeing motorboats can be active from as early as 6am.
• Paddlecraft on Lake Akan: It’s relatively rare to see paddlecraft on Lake Akan. While canoeing is encouraged on the lake (see Section 2-I 1 (2) of the Akan National Park Akan Area Management Plan), rules regarding where paddlecraft are allowed on the lake appear not to be well defined nor understood. Rules are certainly not well communicated; there are none made public online, and we had to call multiple agencies to understand dynamics on the lake. The SUPER FANTASTIC Lake Akan website, for example, appears not to assume independent paddlers on the lake. To avoid any misunderstandings, we advise to either just paddle the west and northwestern end of the lake, or if you’re keen to circumnavigate the lake, make sure to avoid the southern shoreline during ferry operating hours. At all times, paddlecraft should hug the shoreline.
• Put-in location: As noted above, there’s only one put-in/take-out location on the lake for paddlecraft, on the beach just west of the tourist ferry boatyard. The gravel road along the northern shoreline is under the purview of the Maeda Ippoen Foundation, and requires a permit to use (see their map here, and permitting details here) – therefore, in an emergency, paddlers should not expect to escape from the lake anywhere but the southern shoreline.
• Maeda Ippoen Foundation Forests: The forests on the northern, western and southern sides of the lake are managed by the Maeda Ippoen Foundation 前田一歩園財団, and require a permit to enter. The actual shoreline of the lake, however, is classified as National Forest 国有林, so it is possible and acceptable to land (i.e., take a break) on the beaches on the lake shoreline.
• Chuirui Island: Churui Island チュウルイ島 at the northeastern corner of the lake is home to the Marimo Observation Center チュウルイ島 マリモ展示観察センター (location). The island is only accessible by tourist ferry or sightseeing motorboat, unfortunately. There’s nowhere for paddlers to land on the island – the jetty is for motorboat use only.