Akan
阿寒（阿寒湖温泉）43°26′ N 144°06′ EOnsen townFar edges
Lake Akan freezes solid in winter, and the onsen village on its shore is home to one of Hokkaido's largest Ainu kotan.
Volcanic alert
Meakandake is at volcanic alert level 2
Meakandake near Lake Akan has been at level 2 since September 2025, and the area about 500 m around its crater is closed. Akan's town ski hill and the onsen town are outside the closed zone.
Checked 2026-10 · jma.go.jp
Photo 663highland · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.5 and others, credited in the gallery
Who should base here
Stay at Lake Akan for Ainu culture and onsen on an eastern Hokkaido road trip. It suits riders taking a few days off the snow, or touring the Akan volcanoes with a guide.
The name
akan
アカンUnmoving, according to the city; other readings link it to a wheel or to spawning dace
ainu
The meaning is disputed. Kushiro City, which absorbed Akan town in 2005, says the name comes from 'akan', unmoving, given to Me-Akan and O-Akan; a story holds that when an earthquake shook the land, O-Akan alone did not move, so it was called akan-un-pinne-sir, the unmoving male mountain. The Hokkaido government list notes other readings: akam (a wheel) and rakan (where dace spawn), the old name of the Akan River being Rakan-pet. Akanko Onsen is part of Kushiro City, so no separate population is given.
SourceEat · 食べる
Mingei Kissa Poronno民芸喫茶 ポロンノcafe¥¥
A family from the kotan cooks Ainu food in Akan Kotan. Winter hours 12:00–20:30, and reservations are required from November to April.
Nabekyushokudo¥
This onsen-village diner serves regional cooking with tempura and soba. Lunch only, 11:00–15:00.
Ryogoku Sohontenshokudo¥¥
Regional dishes in the onsen village for lunch and an early dinner. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Pan de Panbakery¥
The onsen village bakery and café opens 9:00–17:00 and closes early when the bread sells out. Closed Wednesdays.
Do · 遊ぶ
663highland / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.5 Akanko Ainu Theater Ikorculture
Traditional Ainu dance and the 'Lost Kamuy' show in the evenings through winter. In 2025/26 the dances ran at 20:00 and Lost Kamuy at 21:00; check the 2026/27 schedule.
pakku / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0 Wakasagi ice fishingactivity
Fish for smelt through holes in the frozen lake and eat them as tempura on the ice. Gear and tents are rented at the lakeshore.
Frost flowers and ice trekkingwalk
Guides lead dawn walks on the frozen lake to find frost flowers, which need a still night near minus twenty.
Lake Akan freezes solid in winter, and the onsen village on its south shore sits at the edge of a white plain ringed by forest and the cones of O-Akan and Me-Akan. On clear nights the temperature can fall close to minus twenty, and in the morning the ice blooms with frost flowers. People drill holes in the lake and fish for wakasagi smelt from small tents, then fry them in tempura batter right there on the ice.
Akan Kotan at the west end of the village is one of the largest Ainu communities in Hokkaido. Its street of craft shops and wood carvers runs up to the Ikor theatre. In winter the theatre stages traditional Ainu dances and 'Lost Kamuy', which mixes Ainu dance with contemporary dance and projection. Eat at Poronno in the kotan, where the Ainu dishes include venison and pocheimo cakes made from fermented potato; book ahead in winter. It is a long way from the big ski resorts, and riders come here for the culture and the baths.
Quick answers about Akanよくある質問
What does the name Akan mean?
Akan comes from the local name akan, meaning unmoving, according to the city; other readings link it to a wheel or to spawning dace. The meaning is disputed. Kushiro City, which absorbed Akan town in 2005, says the name comes from 'akan', unmoving, given to Me-Akan and O-Akan; a story holds that when an earthquake shook the land, O-Akan alone did not move, so it was called akan-un-pinne-sir, the unmoving male mountain. The Hokkaido government list notes other readings: akam (a wheel) and rakan (where dace spawn), the old name of the Akan River being Rakan-pet. Akanko Onsen is part of Kushiro City, so no separate population is given.
Is Akan a good place to stay?
Stay at Lake Akan for Ainu culture and onsen on an eastern Hokkaido road trip. It suits riders taking a few days off the snow, or touring the Akan volcanoes with a guide.
How do you get to Akan?
Akan Bus runs to Akanko Onsen from Kushiro Airport and Kushiro Station; the tourism association quotes about three hours door to door from Tokyo via Kushiro Airport. By car the drive from Kushiro Airport takes a little over an hour.
Ride from Akan近くの山
Stay in Akan宿
Hot springs nearby温泉
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