Hiking Hokkaido’s Volcanoes | 4 Day Road Trip in Japan

Hiking Hokkaido’s Volcanoes | 4 Day Road Trip in Japan

This is the Shikotsu-Toya National 
Park, filled with volcanic activity and deep caldera lakes. Join me as I 
explore this part of southern Hokkaido. My adventure begins in the 
little seaside town of Usu, camping right on the Pacific Ocean, with Mount 
Usu rising in the distance. This active volcano has shaped both the town and the Lake Toya area 
throughout its many eruptions. Today, I’m setting off towards the mountain to explore its trails 
and witness the epic volcanic landscapes ahead. After a quick ride up the cable car, I arrived 
at Mount Usu’s viewpoint. In the distance stands Shōwa-Shinzan, a volcanic dome that rose from 
farmland during eruptions in the 1940s. Today, it feels calm, but the landscapes 
are always changing. From there, I set off along the crater walk of Mount Usu. [Music] Yo, look at that view. That is crazy. 
I’ve been walking the crater rim, and I just can’t stop taking photos and videos. You can even see the fumaroles, showing how active 
this volcano really is. Absolutely beautiful. We’ve reached the end of the southern 
part of this crater walk. As you can see, it looks stunning — and Mount Usu is clearly 
active. You can see the fumaroles in the distance, and behind us, Mount Yōtei dominates the 
skyline. For context, we’re around 600 meters above sea level, and Mount Yōtei is just 
under 2,000. In the distance lies Lake Toya, which I’ll head to later today. These 
views are spectacular — it’s my first time seeing volcanic landscapes like 
this, and I’m blown away already. After walking the crater of Mount Usu, 
I made my way down to Lake Toya. This caldera lake was formed from the 
same eruptions that created Usu, and it was the perfect peaceful 
place to stop after the climb. Here on Lake Toya sits Ukimido, a 
beautiful, serene shrine. Lake Toya, the vast lake behind me, is the 
third largest caldera lake in Japan. The sunset is glowing orange across the 
water, and it’s such a special moment. The next day I made my way towards Lake Shikotsu, a deep caldera lake surrounded by peaks 
like Fuppushi, Eniwa, and Tarumae. Compared to Lake Toya, it feels wilder and 
more untamed. With Tarumae on the horizon, my sights were set on the climb the next day. It was just after 7 a.m. when I set 
off to climb Mount Tarumae. Because of road closures from recent storms, I couldn’t 
start from the usual seventh station. Instead, I began from the base, adding an extra 
hour along the forest road before even reaching the trailhead. The air was damp from 
the rain, and it felt like a quiet early start. At the seventh station parking lot — 
where I was meant to begin — it had taken me about an hour to reach on foot. 
But Tarumae was already looking epic, its volcanic slopes rising ahead. Let’s 
head up — just need to watch out for bears. [Music]
The trail soon became steeper and rockier, with 
loose volcanic scree. Above the treeline, the views over Lake Shikotsu were 
unreal. Behind me stood Mount Fuppushi, created during past eruptions when 
this whole area was a volcano. Now, it’s a vast caldera lake. We were about halfway 
up, and I pushed on to reach the crater. [Music] At the summit, the scene was insane. A massive 
crater stretched below, volcanic gases rising from within. The surrounding views were breathtaking, 
though the chill was setting in. I decided to continue around the crater rim — a loop that takes 
a couple of hours. From here, I could see the lakes, the peaks, everything. 
Too good not to put the drone up. From the summit, I traversed along the ridge 
towards the northern peak. This isn’t the toughest or highest climb in Hokkaido, but for 
me it’s important. I’m still rebuilding fitness, and hikes like this test me — letting me 
know I can take on bigger challenges ahead. [Music] From Tarumae’s summit, the views stretched across the crater, over to Mount Fuppushi, Lake Shikotsu, 
and even out to the Pacific Ocean near Tomakomai. Absolutely stunning. From here, it was time to 
head back down to the van and find an onsen. The following day, after resting, I found 
myself on the coast in Noboribetsu. I set up camp on the beach and planned to explore 
Jigokudani — Hell Valley — the next morning. That evening, while filming, a local fisherman 
approached me. We spoke about my travels across Japan, and he told me it was his dream 
to do the same one day. Before leaving, he invited me to join him 
fishing the next morning. [Music] A little inland from Noboribetsu lies Jigokudani, 
Hell Valley. Though touristy, it’s naturally impressive — steaming vents, bubbling 
pools, and rivers of boiling water, all powered by the volcanic 
activity beneath Mount Hiyori. I ended the walk with a relaxing foot 
bath in the natural hot spring stream. That wraps up this week’s episode. 
Thank you so much for making it this far — it really helps me out. Recently, 
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and with your support, we can do it. Please like and subscribe, and 
I’ll see you in the next video. [Music]

I spent four days traveling through hokkaido’s volcanic landscapes — from mt. usu and mt. tarumae, to the caldera lakes of toya and shikotsu, and the steaming hell valley of noboribetsu. this trip was about solitude, vanlife, and discovering japan’s wild north in its rawest form.

if you enjoy cinematic travel films, hiking adventures, and vanlife in japan, consider subscribing — more journeys across japan are coming soon.

0:00 Intro
0:20 Mount Usu
2:50 Lake Toya
3:55 Lake Shikotsu
4:37 Hiking Mount Tarumae
10:00 Sunset Beach
11:12 Fishing with Local
14:09 Jigokudani Onsen
15:00 Outro