17 September 2026
Today was the day we left Hakodate and started making our way towards Toya Onsen, before eventually continuing on to Sapporo.
We took a little too long getting ourselves organised in the morning, and by the time we were ready to leave, the hotel’s free breakfast had already finished.
Which, in hindsight, turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
It meant we could go out and hunt for breakfast ourselves.
And our choice?
7-Eleven. ;p
I had bought a milk tea from 7-Eleven the night before and really liked it, so we lingered there for a while and picked up some onigiri and coffee. The coffee turned out to be surprisingly good too.
The wrong rental car office
Since we had to pass through Hakodate Station anyway, we wandered into the station for a little while before heading to the car rental offices nearby.
This was where the morning became slightly more complicated than planned.
I confidently followed the map directions to our rental office, walked in and told the reception lady that we were there to collect our reserved car.
She looked up our name.
Nothing.
I showed her the reservation.
She looked at it again and then explained:
“This is Nippon Rent-A-Car, not Nissan Rent-A-Car.”
Ah.
It turned out that Nippon Rent-A-Car and Nissan Rent-A-Car have neighbouring offices, and I had simply walked into the wrong one.
So we apologetically walked back out and headed towards the other office.
Except that we had left something behind.
The reception lady from Nippon Rent-A-Car actually came running after us because we had accidentally left our International Driving Permit at her counter.
So our supposedly simple car collection turned into a small chain of unnecessary complications before we had even started driving.
Eventually, though, we got our Nissan rental car.
And it was quite a beautiful car.
Finally, we were on the road.
Hakodate to Mount Usu
The drive out of Hakodate was fairly straightforward. At one point I spotted a Tsutaya Books and, naturally, had to stop for a little browse.
Then we continued onwards towards Mount Usu.
Mount Usu is part of the Toya Caldera and Usu Volcano Geopark, and its landscape is a reminder that Hokkaido is still geologically active.
Mount Usu is an active volcano that has erupted repeatedly in relatively recent history. Its eruptions have also played an important role in shaping the landscape around Lake Toya, including the dramatic volcanic terrain that we were exploring.
We took the Usuzan Ropeway up towards the summit.
The first observation area near the ropeway station is relatively easy to reach. From there, however, there are trails leading further around the volcanic landscape.
And this is where I learned that “there is a trail” and “I should walk the trail” are two very different statements.
The Mount Usu trail: don’t underestimate it
We decided to walk further towards the outer observation areas.
The trail involves a considerable amount of descending stairs.
And when I say descending, I mean a lot of descending.
We kept walking, thinking we were nearly there, until eventually I looked at the remaining distance and realised that there were still about 600 metres to go.
I gave up.
I decided that the final section simply wasn’t worth destroying my legs for.
The problem, of course, was that everything we had walked down had to be walked back up again.
And that climb back up was excruciating.
Even after returning to the bottom, my thighs were still aching.
So if you are planning to do the longer Mount Usu trail, be prepared. The ropeway itself makes access to the mountain relatively easy, but the longer walking trails are a different proposition altogether.
You can enjoy the main observation areas without completing the entire outer-rim walk.
For us, stopping short of the final section was the sensible decision — although my legs apparently disagreed for the rest of the day.
Don’t miss the roasted corn
After coming back down, we found a little stall selling corn near the ropeway ticket area.
The lady told me it would take about three minutes, so while I waited, she gave me a piece of fresh corn to try.
And oh my gosh.
It was raw, incredibly juicy and crunchy.
For a moment I wondered why anyone would even need to roast it.
Then she handed me the finished corn.
And I understood.
The roasted version was slightly salty, smoky and perfectly cooked.
It was one of those very simple snacks that ended up becoming one of my favourite memories from the stop.
If you visit Mount Usu, I would definitely look out for this stall near the ticket counter.
An unexpected Malaysian encounter
While I was happily eating my corn, two young women approached us and asked how we were planning to get back into town.
They had a problem.
The town was around 3 km away, they had missed the last bus and they could not find any taxis.
Since we had empty seats in the back of our rental car, we offered them a lift.
And then came the unexpected part.
They were also from Malaysia.
It was such a pleasant surprise.
Of all the places we could have crossed paths with fellow Malaysians, it happened beside an active volcano in Hokkaido.
We dropped them off in town and continued towards dinner.
Early dinner at Lake View Re Café
For dinner, we went to Lake View Re Café, a place I had saved earlier.
We ordered potatoes, black garlic oil salted pork broth ramen and curry rice.
The curry smelled so good when we first walked into the restaurant that we immediately decided we had to try it.
The curry itself was flavourful, but it just wasn’t my favourite.
The ramen, however, was excellent.
The black garlic oil and salted pork broth gave it a deep flavour without making it feel too heavy, and this ended up being one of the dishes we enjoyed most.
And then there were the potatoes.
The potatoes were another surprise favourite.
Hokkaido is, of course, famous for its potatoes. The island’s cooler climate and extensive agricultural land have made it one of Japan’s major potato-producing regions, and potatoes appear everywhere in Hokkaido food — from simple roasted potatoes to soups, croquettes and more elaborate dishes.
These were particularly good.
So our final ranking was definitely:
Ramen + potatoes > curry.
Even though the curry was the reason we initially ordered it.
A quiet night instead of fireworks
After dinner, we finally checked into our hotel.
Originally, we had planned to drive back to Toya Onsen Town, about 12 minutes away, to enjoy the evening fireworks over Lake Toya.
The fireworks are one of the area’s distinctive summer attractions, with launches taking place over the lake and visible from various parts of the resort.
But by this point, we were tired.
Very tired.
So instead of forcing ourselves back out again, we stayed at the hotel.
Sometimes the original plan simply doesn’t survive a full day of driving, walking down volcanic trails and climbing back up them.
And that was our day — leaving Hakodate, accidentally visiting the wrong car rental company, almost losing our International Driving Permit, exploring an active volcano, discovering excellent roasted corn, giving two Malaysian travellers a lift, eating ramen and potatoes, and finally deciding that the fireworks could wait.
Transport & Practical Tips
Hakodate → Mount Usu
Driving is particularly convenient if you want to combine Mount Usu with Lake Toya and continue towards Sapporo. The route also gives you considerably more flexibility than relying on buses between the different sights.
Mount Usu Ropeway
The ropeway takes you up the mountain without requiring a long uphill climb. However, don’t confuse the easy ropeway access with an easy hiking experience. The longer trails involve substantial stairs and descending/ascending.
If you are travelling with older family members or anyone who does not enjoy steep or lengthy walks, the shorter observation areas can still provide a good experience without completing the entire trail.
Roasted corn
If the corn stall near the ropeway ticket counter is operating, try it. The fresh corn sample was surprisingly good, while the finished roasted corn was even better.
Toya Onsen
Toya Onsen is located beside Lake Toya, a large caldera lake formed by a major volcanic eruption thousands of years ago. The area is part of the wider volcanic landscape around Mount Usu, so this is a destination where the scenery and geology are closely connected.
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