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Chitose, Hokkaido / 支笏湖（支笏湖ビジターセンター）

Lake Shikotsu Visitor Center

The national-park visitor centre by Lake Shikotsu, with exhibits on the volcanoes, forests and lake life, a kokanee salmon tank and a 15-minute film; the bus from New Chitose Airport takes about 55 min.

Two white sightseeing boats on the choppy blue lake, with forested mountains behind
Sightseeing boats on Lake Shikotsu (photo taken October 2009)Photo: 663highland / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5 (resized) · License · Source

Last official check

25 Sept 2026

Traveler reports

0

Reports open in Phase 2

Next scheduled check

24 Dec 2026

Decide before you go

A short summary made from the official facts below. Check the rows for details.

Getting there
Train / Bus
Closing days
Has closing days (see below)

Before you go

Only facts we confirmed on official sources are shown. Anything else is listed under “Not yet confirmed”.

Opening hours

Visitor centre: 9:00-17:30 in April-November, 9:30-16:30 in December-March.

Checked 25 Sept 2026 on the official site
Closed

Closed on Tuesdays (next day if a holiday) from December to March, and over the New Year.

Checked 25 Sept 2026 on the official site
Getting there

From JR Chitose or Minami-Chitose Station, Hokkaido Chuo Bus bound for Shikotsuko (route 空4) to the last stop (about 44 / 50 min). From New Chitose Airport, the same bus takes about 55 min. No regular buses from Sapporo or Tomakomai. By car, about 40 min from New Chitose Airport or 70 min from central Sapporo.

Checked 25 Sept 2026 on the official site
Parking

Lake Shikotsu car park, once per day: cars 500 yen, motorbikes 200, microbuses 1,000, coaches 2,000 (fees fund park maintenance). Car park No. 5: 1,000 yen per visit.

Checked 25 Sept 2026 on the official site
Accessibility

The visitor centre lends wheelchairs (limited numbers) for use inside and on the outdoor paths, and has a multipurpose toilet that can also be used for nappy changing.

Checked 25 Sept 2026 on the official site
Not yet confirmed

Admission, Payment

we have not confirmed this on an official source yet. Check with the spot before you go.

Found wrong or outdated information? Let us know

Address: Chitose, Hokkaido (Japanese address: 北海道千歳市支笏湖温泉番外地)

Official site: https://shikotsukovc.sakura.ne.jp/

Location

We have not confirmed the location on an official source yet, so there is no map.

Crowds

Not yet confirmed

Crowd level, Best time to visit, Peak time, Busiest days, Busiest season

no official source yet, and not enough traveler reports.

Latest traveler report
None yet

Traveler crowd data by time of day appears after 5 traveler reports (0 so far).

You can check typical busy hours in Google Maps ("Popular times" on the place's page). Open this spot in Google Maps

Visiting respectfully

  • Local etiquetteFollow the local "Lake Shikotsu Rules". People aged 13+ using the Chitose River waterside pay a 500 yen conservation contribution. Hikers should check the JMA volcano information for Mt. Tarumae and Mt. Eniwa.Checked 25 Sept 2026 on the official site
  • Local etiquetteNo booking needed, even for groups. The 15-minute film is in Japanese, English, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Korean and Thai. The "Wild Bird Forest" trail runs by the lake.Checked 25 Sept 2026 on the official site

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