Lake Tōya
crater lake in Hokkaido, Japan
Lake Tōya (洞爺湖, Tōya-ko) is a volcanic caldera lake in Shikotsu-Toya National Park, Abuta District, Hokkaido, Japan. It is part of "Toya Caldera and Usu Volcano Global Geopark" which joins in Global Geoparks Network. The stratovolcano of Mount Usu lies on the southern rim of the caldera. The lake is nearly circular, being 10 km (6.2 mi) in diameter from the eastwest and 9 km (5.6 mi) from the northsouth. The town of Tōyako comprises most of the area surrounding the lake and the town of Sōbetsu is located on the eastern side.
Lake Tōya is said to be the northernmost lake in Japan that never ices (with competing claim by nearby Lake Shikotsu), and the second most transparent lake in Japan. Nakajima Island is a recursive island in the middle of the lake which houses the Tōya Lake Forest Museum.
Lake Tōya was called Kim'un-to (キムウン (kim'un) means "in the mountain" and ト (to) means "lake") by the Ainu. In the Meiji era, Japanese pioneers named the lake Tōya after the Ainu expression to ya, which means "lakeshore, land around a lake."
The 2008 G8 Summit was held at Lake Tōya and The Windsor Hotel Toya Resort & Spa.
Surroundings
Surrounding the lake, there are numerous parks as well as walking trails, such as the Waterfront Forest Lane (Takarada Nature Observation Trail) and the Nishiyama Sanroku Crater Trail.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Lake Tōya” as crater lake in Hokkaido, Japan. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as crater lake in Hokkaido, Japan. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1323974. VIAF identifies the subject as 315128553. Authority coordinates are 42.583, 140.850. None of the 2 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2008.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Lake Tōya”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Lake Tōya primary sources, Lake Tōya archive and Lake research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Lake Tōya”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Lake Tōya” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.