Noboribetsu and Lake Toya from Sapporo: Hell Valley and the volcano

How to choose a tour

How to get there on your own and on a tour

Noboribetsu and Lake Toya (Toyako) are a volcanic area south-west of Sapporo. The searches here run: “Hell Valley”, “Jigokudani”, “Noboribetsu onsen”, “Showa-Shinzan volcano”, “Toya Hokkaido”.

• Train. The JR Hokuto and Suzuran express trains run from Sapporo to Noboribetsu station in about 1 hour 10 minutes, and to Toya about an hour and a half to two hours. Then continue by bus: from Noboribetsu station to the onsen town about 15 minutes, and from Toya station to the lakeshore about 20 minutes.
• Tour. In tours from Sapporo a bus combines Hell Valley, the lake and the volcano in one day, with no changes. If you want to fit in both an onsen and the lake, choose an 8–9 hour tour.

Hell Valley, Lake Toya and the volcano

Hell Valley (Jigokudani) is a crater with boiling sulphur springs and steam, with wooden paths about a kilometre long laid through it. From the valley a trail leads to Oyunuma pond and the foot baths. The mythical “Enma, master of hell” and statues of oni demons greet tourists on the streets of the town.

Lake Toya is a caldera lake with islands in the middle; a road runs round the lake, and in the warm months every evening fireworks are launched over the water from a boat (a tradition from about the end of April to October). The Usu volcano and Showa-Shinzan mountain appeared before people’s eyes in 1943–1945: steam can still be seen from cracks on the slope. A cable car up Mount Usu takes you to a viewing platform with a view of the caldera.

Which tickets and tours are available

Prices are as of 10 October 2026. Check the contents, language and conditions on the page of the offer you choose.

What else

Compare with Furano and Biei. All offers: excursions in Hokkaido.

Restrictions and tips

• Smell and gas. Hell Valley smells strongly of sulphur, and in windy weather the gas is more noticeable. People with asthma and heart conditions are better not to go far along the trail. Do not leave the wooden walkways: the ground is hot.
• Onsen and tattoos. Many bathhouses do not admit people with tattoos, and in public onsen you wash first and then get in. Swimwear is not worn. For families there are private baths at hotels.
• Clothing. Hokkaido is cooler than Tokyo: in autumn and winter you need a warm jacket and non-slip shoes, because the trails are covered with snow or frost. In summer it is usually +20–25.
• Best time. In autumn red leaves in October, in winter snow and fireworks by the lake. A summer tour is simplest and cheapest.
• Passport. Take it with you for the ticket and for boarding the bus. Drones over the craters and lakes are banned.
• Language. The tours in the catalogue list an English-speaking guide, and the stops along the route are simple and without complicated transfers.

The description is based on Trip.com cards; opening hours and the contents of offers may change.