Northern Lake Toya 北洞爺湖(洞爺湖町)
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After bicycling through eastern Lake Toya, I continue my trip around Lake Toya as I head north, entering Toyako town.
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Toya Shonen Shizen no Ie (Toya Nature House for Youth) is a lodging and seminar facility. 道立洞爺少年自然の家
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Nakajima islands
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Vinyl house
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Northern Lake Toya includes the Takarada Nature Footpath along the lake shore. 財田自然観察道
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Nakajima islands as seen from northern Lake Toya.
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Takarada Nature Footpath along the lake shore. 財田自然観察道
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Takarada Nature Footpath along the lake shore. 財田自然観察道
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How the lake was formed.
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Northern Lake Toya
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Pier
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Reeds barely grow here.
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Takarada Nature Footpath along the lake shore.
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Take home your trash!
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Sculpture: Dreamy Lake View, by Masafumi Maita 眞板 雅文「湖景夢想」
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Nakajima islands as seen from northern Lake Toya. They seem to look the same from whichever direction. Totally conical islands.
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Toya Mizunoeki, a local shopping place and rest house in northern Lake Toya. A good place to rest, eat, and inquire at the tourist info counter. とうや水の駅
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G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit welcome sign on entrance of Toya Mizunoeki.
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Inside Toya Mizunoeki, they sell local produce, tourist souvenirs, etc.
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Inside Toya Mizunoeki
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Inside Toya Mizunoeki, fresh vegetables for sale.
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Inside Toya Mizunoeki
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Personal computers for public use inside Toya Mizunoeki in northern Lake Toya. Notice the G8 Summit flags.
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Balcony facing the lake on the upper floor of Toya Mizunoeki.
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G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit Welcome sign on window of Toya Mizunoeki in northern Lake Toya.
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Outside Toya Mizunoeki fronting Lake Toya.
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The sculpture on the right: Wave Play, by Kyuzaemon Orihara 折原 久左ェ門「波遊」
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View of Lake Toya behind Toya Mizunoeki.
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Near the Toya Mizunoeki is Toya High School whose Environment Club regularly take water samples from Lake Toya to test the lake's water quality. They go behind the Toya Mozunoeki and take water samples with plastic buckets.
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The students do various tests, each one does a specific task. 洞爺高等学校
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With buckets and water testing kits, they do their testing.
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One girl takes notes as the others give her their test results.
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Color charts are used to assess the water quality. This is for phosphoric acid.
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For nitrate.
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For Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD).
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After the water testing is done, they throw back the water into the lake.
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The lake shore behind the Toya Mizunoeki also has swans.
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Nakajima islands and swan, Lake Toya, Hokkaido
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Lake Toya and swan, Hokkaido
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Lake Toya and swans, Hokkaido
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G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit welcome banner at a gas station in northern Lake Toya.
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Sculpture: I was…I will, by Masaru Bando 坂東 優「I was(過去)…I will(未来)」
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Northern Lake Toya
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Another major sight in Lake Toya is the Ukimido pagoda in northern Lake Toya.
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Ukimido pagoda juts out into the lake on a narrow islet connected by a stone bridge.
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Ukimido means "floating view temple."
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Cherry blossoms and Ukimido pagoda.
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Well-placed sculpture at Ukimido: Dream Toya, by Mitsuaki Sora, 空 充秋「夢洞爺」
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Ukimido Park
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The Ukimido is the focal point of the lakeside Ukimido Park.
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A path of stones lead to the Ukimido.
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Around 1912, a Buddhist priest traveling north reached Toya village and rested at the Matsuhashi home. He gave a statue of Prince Shotoku Taishi to the family and said that they and the village shall prosper by taking care of it.
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The Matsuhashi family later moved away from Toya village and entrusted the statue to a local temple.
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Upon the wishes of the local people, they built the Ukimido pagoda in 1937 and put the Shotoku Taishi statue on the altar inside. They also started the annual Shotoku Taishi Festival every July.
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However, on Oct. 15, 2003, the Ukimido was struck by lightning and both the building and Shotoku Taishi statue were lost in the fire.
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Local residents then launched a project to rebuild the Ukimido and through numerous donations, a new Ukimido and Shotoku Taishi altar statue was completed in July 2004.
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Ukimido pagoda, Lake Toya, Hokkaido 浮見堂
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Right side of Ukimido pagoda, Lake Toya.
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Left side of Ukimido pagoda, Lake Toya
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Behind Ukimido pagoda, Lake Toya
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The Ukimido houses a small statue of Prince Shotoku Taishi. Inside, it still looks quite new.
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View from the Ukimido's tiny balcony.
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View behind the Ukimido pagoda, with the Nakajima islands.
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Ukimido
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Sculpture: Alveolus, by Goro Kakei 掛井 五郎「胞」
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Silo Lookout Point
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Silo Lookout Point in western Lake Toya is not on the lakeside road. It is on a highway running almost parallel to the lakeside road. Not really accessible by bicycle.
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Silo Lookout Point
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Near the Silo Lookput Point is this large refrigerated warehouse for vegetables operated by the Toya JA agricultural cooperative. 野菜貯蔵用雪蔵(雪エネルギー利用)
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This refrigerated warehouse for vegetables uses winter snow as the coolant, reducing the electricity bill.
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Inside the refrigerated warehouse. There are two large rooms, one is filled with snow (seen in the back wall) and the other has the produce.
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Snow in the refrigerated warehouse. In winter, they use a snow plow/blower to shoot the snow into the room. The temperature is adjusted by ceiling fans and the wall shutters which can open or close.
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Another nesting swan.
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Nesting swan
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Nakajima islands as seen from western Lake Toya.
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Lakeside road in western Lake Toya.
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Kannon hut in Tsukiura. Here and there in Lake Toya are Kannon statues.
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Inside Kannon hut.
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Nakajima islands as seen from western Lake Toya.
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Mt. Usu and Toyako Onsen in the distance.
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More cherry trees.
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Cherry blossoms and Nakajima islands
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Cherry blossoms and Toyako Onsen in the distance.
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Sculpture: Recovery, by Rei Nibe 二部 黎「復活」
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Sculpture: by Aiko Miyawaki, 宮脇 愛子「うつろひ」 This is at the western edge of Toyako Onsen. It was past 5 pm when I got back to Toyako Onsen by bicycle.
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