Spring at Lake Toya arrives one flower at a time, each slightly overlapping the next. The plum blossoms in neighbouring Sobetsu, the cherry trees along the lakeshore, the daffodils that look out toward Mount Yotei, and the azaleas at an ancient temple in Date. All of them lie within easy driving distance, and with the right timing you can see all four in a single one-night, two-day trip.

Kamonoya, which runs 11 whole-house rentals around Lake Toya, offers a realistic timetable for making it happen. For the full picture of springtime at Lake Toya, see our spring guide to Lake Toya, and for a roundup of cherry-blossom spots, see Lake Toya cherry blossoms and spring highlights. This article focuses on one thing: how to put a one-night, two-day itinerary together.

Mid-May is usually when all four flowers overlap

Here is roughly when each is at its best. These are typical-year guides only, and the timing shifts earlier or later depending on that year’s temperatures.

• The plum grove at Sobetsu Park: usually around mid-May
• Cherry blossoms along the Lake Toya shore: usually early May (around Golden Week)
• Cherry blossoms at Usu Zenkoji: usually late April to mid-May (the adjacent Zenkoji Nature Park runs from early to late May)
• Suisen Hill (daffodils): usually from early May (just after the Golden Week holidays) to late May
• Azaleas at Usu Zenkoji: after the cherry blossoms, usually mid to late May

Lined up like this, the time you are most likely to enjoy all four at once is usually around mid-May. In this period the plums are at their peak, the daffodils and azaleas are beginning to open, and late-blooming or double-flowered cherries may still remain. During Golden Week, by contrast, the cherries may be in full bloom while the plums and azaleas are still too early. Bloom conditions vary greatly by year and weather, so please check the official announcements from each town and tourism association before you set out.

Day 1: From the plum blossoms of Sobetsu Park to lakeside cherries at dusk

The first day begins by looking down over Lake Toya from up high.

• Around 10:00 Depart New Chitose Airport. Lake Toya is about 2 hours away by car (about 2 hours from Sapporo as well).
• Around 12:00 Arrive at the Lake Toya onsen town. Have lunch and lighten your travel load.
• Around 13:00 Drive to Sobetsu Park in neighbouring Sobetsu. Its roughly 20,000 m² plum grove holds about 300 Bungo plum trees. Admission is free, and the parking area at the top doubles as an observation deck, so the moment you step out of the car you can take in Lake Toya, Nakajima, Mount Yotei, Mount Usu and Showa-Shinzan all at once. For details, see our guide to the Sobetsu Park plum grove.
• Around 15:00 Drive back to the lakeshore and stroll beneath the cherry trees. The sight of the lake and Nakajima framed by cherry branches, with snow still lingering on Mount Yotei and Mount Usu, belongs to this season alone. There are spots that make you want to stop and linger, such as a red bridge wrapped in blossoms.
• Around 16:30 Check in at your lodging. If you are in the centre of the onsen town, you can leave the car and make the rounds of the hand baths and foot baths.
• Around 20:45 The Lake Toya Long-run Fireworks Festival. From late April to the end of October each year, fireworks are launched over the lake for about 20 minutes every night from around 20:45. We have gathered the best viewing spots in our fireworks viewing guide.

The lakeside gets quite cold at night, even in May. If you plan to watch the fireworks, be sure to bring a layer to throw on.

Day 2: From daffodils with a view of Mount Yotei to the azaleas of a flower temple

Day 2 traces a diagonal route from the hills in the north down to the sea in the south.

• Around 7:00 Head to the lakeshore in the morning. On a windless morning the surface turns to glass, mirroring the cherry trees and mountains. It is also when there are few people and few cars about.
• Around 9:00 Drive to Suisen Hill, along the prefectural road in the Tomioka district of Toyako Town. Yellow and white daffodils spread across a slope of about 5,000 m², with Mount Yotei behind. It is private land that one individual has spent some 20 years cultivating.
• Around 10:30 Drive to Usu Zenkoji in Date.
• Around 11:30 Visit Usu Zenkoji. This ancient temple carries more than 1,100 years of history and is known as one of the three official temples of Ezo. In its grounds stands an Ezo mountain cherry known as “Ishiwari-zakura” (the rock-splitting cherry), roughly 200 years old and designated a memorial protected tree of Hokkaido. The azaleas glimpsed through the windows of the thatched-roof main hall are another unforgettable sight.
• Around 13:00 Move on to the adjoining Zenkoji Nature Park. About 1,000 cherry trees—Somei-Yoshino, weeping cherry, Ezo mountain cherry and more—bloom in succession. Because the cherries are followed by azaleas, peonies and hydrangeas, it is known as the “flower temple.” For details, see our guide to Usu Zenkoji and Ishiwari-zakura, and for the azalea season, see the azaleas of Usu Zenkoji.
• Around 15:00 From Usu Zenkoji it is about 20 minutes by car to the Abuta-Toyako IC or Date IC, so you can head straight home from here.

When visiting Usu Zenkoji, please check the official information for the latest details, such as opening hours. If you come by JR, it is about a 25-minute walk from Usu Station.

A heartfelt request to everyone who visits Suisen Hill

Suisen Hill is not a tourist facility. It is a place that one person has spent some 20 years cultivating on their own private land, and the surrounding area is also home to daily life and farming. When you visit, please be sure to observe the following.

• Do not park on the prefectural road. Keep the way clear for other vehicles and farm machinery.
• Do not enter the fields or the slope. View quietly from within the designated area.
• Do not pick the flowers or dig up the bulbs.
• Always take your rubbish home with you.
• Keep noise down and be considerate of the neighbourhood and its residents.

Whether the site is opened to the public at all may change depending on the owner’s wishes and the conditions of the year. Please visit in the spirit of being graciously allowed a look at someone’s private place. For details, see our guide to Suisen Hill.

Lodgings to use as your flower-touring base

On this course, which loops around four sites, the more central your lodging is to the lake, the shorter your driving lines become. Every Kamonoya property is a whole-house or private-room rental with a full kitchen, so you can leave early and return late without having to worry about anyone else.

• For a family flower trip: Toya House (sleeps 8, from ¥24,000/night). A whole-house rental in the centre of the onsen town, within walking distance of the lakeside cherry trees.
• For a group of 4 to 6: Lake Toya Building 2LDK (sleeps 6, from ¥11,000/night). An apartment-style unit in the town centre.
• For two people taking it slow: Toya Terraced House (sleeps 4, from ¥11,000/night). A centrally located option for small groups.

You can browse our other properties on the facilities list. If you would rather build your drive around the cherry blossoms alone, see our Lake Toya cherry-blossom drive, and if you are visiting during Golden Week, our Golden Week guide to Lake Toya is worth a look too.

Booking directly through our official site is the best-value official rate, with no agency commission (best-rate guarantee). Check availability here.

FAQ

Q. When can I see the plum, cherry, daffodil and azalea all at once?

Around mid-May is usually when they overlap most. The plums at Sobetsu Park, the daffodils on Suisen Hill and the azaleas at Usu Zenkoji tend to peak together, and the late-blooming cherries at Zenkoji Nature Park may still remain. The timing shifts with temperature, so please check the latest bloom conditions before fixing your dates.

Q. Can I do this without a car?

This course is built around travel by car. Sobetsu Park and Suisen Hill are difficult to reach by public transport. Usu Zenkoji is about a 25-minute walk from JR Usu Station, so if you are travelling by rail it makes sense to build your plans around that point.

Q. Can I do it as a day trip?

Covering all four sites in a single day becomes quite hurried. If you narrow it to two—say, Sobetsu Park and the lakeside cherries, or Suisen Hill and Usu Zenkoji—a day trip is comfortable enough. But because you can also enjoy the quiet lakeshore in the morning and the fireworks at night, we recommend staying a night.