Lake Toya
Encyclopedia
is a volcanic caldera
lake
in Shikotsu-Toya National Park
, Abuta District
, Hokkaidō
, Japan
. The stratovolcano
of Mount Usu
lies on the southern rim of the caldera. The lake is nearly circular, being 10 kilometers in diameter from east-west and 9 kilometers from North-South. The lakes biggest town, Tōyako Onsen (洞爺湖温泉) is located on its western shore. The town Tōyako
is located on the other side of the lake.
Lake Tōya is said to be the northernmost lake in Japan that never ices, and the second most transparent lake in Japan. Nakano-shima, an island in the middle of the lake, houses the Tōya Lake Forest Museum.
Lake Tōya was called Kim'un-to (キムウン (kim'un) means "in the mountain" and ト (to) means "lake") by the Ainu
. In the Meiji era, Japanese pioneers named the lake Tōya after the Ainu
expression to ya, which means "lakeland."
The 2008 G8
Summit was held at Lake Tōya and The Windsor Hotel Toya Resort & Spa
.
Caldera
A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption, such as the one at Yellowstone National Park in the US. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters...
lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in Shikotsu-Toya National Park
Shikotsu-Toya National Park
is a national park in the central part of the island of Hokkaidō, Japan. Named after the volcanic caldera lakes of Lake Shikotsu and Lake Tōya, it has a total area of 993.02 square kilometers...
, Abuta District
Abuta District, Hokkaido
is a district located in Iburi and Shiribeshi Subprefectures in Hokkaidō, Japan.As of 2004, the district has an estimated population of 31,526 and a density of 28.30 persons per km²...
, Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The stratovolcano
Stratovolcano
A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a tall, conical volcano built up by many layers of hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile and periodic, explosive eruptions...
of Mount Usu
Mount Usu
is an active stratovolcano in the Shikotsu-Toya National Park, Hokkaidō, Japan. It has erupted four times since 1900: in 1910, 1944–45 , August 7, 1977, and on March 31, 2000. To the north lies Lake Toya...
lies on the southern rim of the caldera. The lake is nearly circular, being 10 kilometers in diameter from east-west and 9 kilometers from North-South. The lakes biggest town, Tōyako Onsen (洞爺湖温泉) is located on its western shore. The town Tōyako
Toyako, Hokkaido
is a town in Abuta District, Iburi Subprefecture, Hokkaidō, Japan. This town was formed on 23 March 2006 through the merger of the town Abuta and the village of Tōya...
is located on the other side of the lake.
Lake Tōya is said to be the northernmost lake in Japan that never ices, and the second most transparent lake in Japan. Nakano-shima, an island in the middle of the lake, houses the Tōya Lake Forest Museum.
Lake Tōya was called Kim'un-to (キムウン (kim'un) means "in the mountain" and ト (to) means "lake") by the Ainu
Ainu people
The , also called Aynu, Aino , and in historical texts Ezo , are indigenous people or groups in Japan and Russia. Historically they spoke the Ainu language and related varieties and lived in Hokkaidō, the Kuril Islands, and much of Sakhalin...
. In the Meiji era, Japanese pioneers named the lake Tōya after the Ainu
Ainu language
Ainu is one of the Ainu languages, spoken by members of the Ainu ethnic group on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaidō....
expression to ya, which means "lakeland."
The 2008 G8
G8
The Group of Eight is a forum, created by France in 1975, for the governments of seven major economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1997, the group added Russia, thus becoming the G8...
Summit was held at Lake Tōya and The Windsor Hotel Toya Resort & Spa
The Windsor Hotel Toya Resort & Spa
is a resort hotel located in Tōyako, Abuta, Hokkaidō, Japan. Managed by The Windsor Hotels International, the Windsor Hotel Toya Resort & Spa was the main conference site of 34th G8 summit, which is to be the fifth G8 summit to take place in Japan.- History :...
.