Chatting with your closest friends while gazing out over the lake, watching the fireworks after dark, then heading back to the room to keep talking. Lake Toya is a perfect place for a girls’ trip or a getaway with a group of friends. Kamonoya, which runs 11 whole-house rentals around Lake Toya, shares how to enjoy Lake Toya from a group-travel perspective and how to choose the right place to stay.
Why we recommend Lake Toya for a girls’ trip
- Photo-worthy scenery is part of everyday life here: the lake and Nakajima, the mountains toward Mount Yotei, the sculptures along the lakeside. Views that make you want to reach for your camera turn up naturally right along your walking route.
- Fireworks every single night: the Lake Toya Long-run Fireworks Festival runs from late April to the end of October, with roughly 20 minutes of fireworks starting around 20:45 every night. You don’t have to plan around a specific date—having fireworks come with the evening of your trip is something unique to Lake Toya.
- Easy to reach: about 2 hours by car from New Chitose Airport or Sapporo. It’s a comfortable distance even for a one-night, two-day weekend. From JR Toya Station it’s about 20 minutes by bus to the onsen town, so groups who prefer to travel by train can plan it too.
At a whole-house rental, you can chat until late without a second thought
The real joy of a girls’ trip is, above all, the late-night chatting. But when a hotel splits your group across separate rooms, you end up worrying about the volume of your voices—”Can they hear us next door?”
Every Kamonoya property is a whole-house or single-unit rental for your group alone. Since you’re the only ones in the building, there’s no need to hold back—not the laughter, not the heart-to-hearts that run into the small hours. Gather in the living room in your pajamas, spread out the snacks, put on a movie—you can recreate the fun of a school-trip night, with the freedom of being a grown-up.
A night of cooking together makes the best memory
Every Kamonoya property comes with a full kitchen. On a group trip, this “make it and eat it together” time turns out to be far more fun than you’d expect. For where to buy ingredients and local food tips, see our Lake Toya food guide.
- The fun starts with shopping for ingredients at the local supermarket: choosing Hokkaido produce is an event of the trip in itself. Discovering regional ingredients is one of the pleasures too.
- Splitting up the roles brings everyone together naturally: someone on cooking, someone on plating, someone to lead the toast. There’s a sense of togetherness you won’t find at a hotel restaurant.
- Take your time, without watching the clock: there’s no last order and no one else’s eyes on you, so you can eat, drink, and talk as much as you like. Some properties even let you enjoy a barbecue (see our article on BBQ-friendly properties as well).
Cafés and sightseeing by day, fireworks by night: the classic way to spend it
Around Lake Toya you’ll find cafés overlooking the water, farm-made sweets, and other stops that pair perfectly with a girls’ trip. Among the classics are Lake Hill Farm, popular for its farm-made gelato, and Wakasaimo Honpo, the go-to for souvenirs. The lakeside onsen town also has free hand baths and foot baths that you can drop into easily on a walk. Since the area has many independently run cafés, it’s safest to check each shop’s latest opening days and hours in advance.
For sightseeing, enjoy the views from the water aboard the Lake Toya sightseeing boat (Nakajima cruise), or take in the scenery at the Silo Observatory and the Usuzan Ropeway and Showa-Shinzan. The loop around the lake is about 40 km and roughly an hour by car, so circling it on a drive is a great option too. And in the evening, it has to be the fireworks. We’ve gathered our viewing tips in the fireworks viewing guide. For planning a one-night, two-day trip, our model course article is a helpful reference too.
Kamonoya properties we recommend for a girls’ trip, by group size
- For 2–3 people: Lake Toya Building 1R Hokusai (sleeps 3, from ¥8,000/night). An apartment in the heart of the onsen town, its Hokusai-themed interior is wonderfully photogenic. Café-hopping and the fireworks are both within walking distance.
- For 3–4 people: Toya Terraced House (sleeps 4, from ¥11,000/night). A centrally located property for smaller groups, roomy even for four. The cost per person is easy on the wallet, too.
- For 5–6 people: Lake Toya Building 2LDK (sleeps 6, from ¥11,000/night). With two bedrooms plus a living room, you can balance time together with time to yourself.
- For a larger party of 7 or more: Toya INN-East (sleeps 11, from ¥30,000/night). A property with a large screen, great for a movie night or a fan-appreciation screening party. For trips with club members or workmates, our article for larger groups is a useful reference.
A whole-house rental is priced “per house,” so splitting it by the number of people can make it surprisingly affordable—another point that group travelers love. You can compare all our properties from the property list.
Once your dates and group size are set, all that’s left is to lock in your stay. Booking directly through our official site is the best-value official rate, with no agency commission (best-rate guarantee). Check availability here.
FAQ
Q. Can I bring in girls’-night items (drinks, cake, fan goods)?
Because these are whole-house rentals, you’re free to bring in drinks, cake, and the like and enjoy them as you please. Every property has a refrigerator and a kitchen. If you have special plans such as decorations, contacting us in advance will help things go smoothly.
Q. Can we enjoy a girls’ trip without a car?
Yes. From JR Toya Station it’s about 20 minutes by bus to the onsen town. If you stay at a property in the heart of the onsen town (such as Lake Toya Building or Toya Terraced House), lakeside walks, the hand and foot baths, the fireworks, and souvenir shopping are all within walking distance. If you want to visit spots around the lake like the Silo Observatory, having a car will broaden your range.
Q. Where do you recommend watching the fireworks from?
Because the Lake Toya Long-run Fireworks Festival launches its fireworks while moving along the lake, you can watch from a wide area anywhere along the onsen-town lakeside. From a property in the town center you can walk right out to the lakeside, so you can wander down to watch with a drink in hand. It runs from late April to the end of October, starting around 20:45 every night; please check the official site for the latest information. For details, see our fireworks viewing guide.