Lake Ippeki (Ippekiko) Guide 2026: Bus from Ito, Path Closure, Boats & Parking

Lake Ippeki (一碧湖, pronounced "ip-peh-kee-ko") is a volcanic crater lake about 4 km around in Ito, Shizuoka, reached from JR Ito Station by Tokai Bus from stop 5 in about 36 minutes for 640 yen (740 yen from October 1, 2026). Since October 31, 2025, part of the lakeside path on the northwest shore has been closed, so you cannot walk all the way around. (Sources: Ministry of the Environment, Ito Tourist Association and Tokai Bus official pages, checked 2026-09-23.)

This guide is for visitors who want a quiet lake near Ito without a car. It covers the name and size, which parts of the path are open, the bus and fares (including the October 2026 fare rise), IC cards, boats and kayaks, parking, the lakeside cafés and the seasons. Every figure comes from the Ministry of the Environment, the Ito Tourist Association, Tokai Bus or the company that runs the boats and shops on the lakeshore, and is dated.

Key facts (checked 2026-09-23)

• Distances differ between sources. The Ministry of the Environment's Numazu nature conservation office (2015) says "about 4 km around". An Ito Tourist Association bus-trip feature says "about 8 km for a full loop". The lakeshore operator says its circuit walk takes "about 40 minutes". These probably measure different routes, but there is no single official figure (sources: Ministry of the Environment, Lake Ippeki (PDF, Japanese); Ito Tourist Association bus-trip feature, checked 2026-09-23).
• Both the tourist association and the lakeshore operator note that the lake is counted among the "100 Landscapes of Japan" (日本百景).
• The lake lies within Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, which is why the Ministry of the Environment publishes a leaflet on it.

The loop is closed: what you can still walk

The Ito Tourist Association announced that from 15:00 on Friday, October 31, 2025, the lakeside path of Oike was closed between Momiji Hiroba (紅葉広場, Maple Tree Ground) and the area below Oike Elementary School on the northwest shore. There is no detour, so a full circuit of the lake is not possible.

• The closed section is private land. Do not enter without the landowner's permission.
• Notices about the closure are posted on the lakeshore.
• The official closure map, which is bilingual, marks the no-entry section running from Momiji Hiroba on the west shore (point A) to the north shore (point B). The boat pier on the east shore, the south shore and Ippekiko Shrine on the west shore are all marked as "passable area".
• As of 2026-09-23 the notice is still posted on the tourist association's Lake Ippeki page. The City of Ito's page with the same title returned "page not found" on the same day. We could not find any announcement that the closure has been lifted, so plan as if it still applies and follow the signs on site (sources: Ito Tourist Association closure notice; closure map (PDF), checked 2026-09-23).

In practice you now walk out and back: from the boat pier either south and round to Ippekiko Shrine and Momiji Hiroba (point A), or north to point B, then return the same way. The Ministry of the Environment notes that the smaller Numaike basin also has a walking path.

Getting there by bus from Ito Station

• At Ito Station, the bus stops are to your left as you leave the ticket gates (source: Tokai Bus sightseeing access, checked 2026-09-23).
• Not every "Shaboten Koen" bus goes via Ippekiko; look for 一碧湖 on the destination board or ask the driver "Ippekiko?" before boarding.
• The lakeshore operator's site says "about 30 minutes, 560 yen", but that fare does not match Tokai Bus's current table below. Use Tokai Bus's fares.
• A tourist association feature describes spending "about an hour until the next bus" at the lake. Frequency varies by time of day, so look up your return bus on Tokai Bus's timetable search before you get off.
• By taxi, the lakeshore operator quotes about 1,600 yen from Izu Kyuko Kawana Station (source: IPPEKIKO NATIONAL PARK official site, checked 2026-09-23).

Bus fares (one way; revised October 1, 2026)

• Single fares are the same in cash and by IC card. Suica, PASMO and other nationwide IC cards (ICOCA, TOICA, manaca, Kitaca and more) work on Tokai route buses: tap on when you board at the front door and tap off when you leave. If your balance is short, you can top up on board with 1,000-yen notes only.
• The Japan Rail Pass does not cover Tokai Bus, which is a private company separate from JR.
• Tokai Bus's "Ito / Izu-Kogen 2-Day Pass" gives two days of unlimited rides on almost all its buses in Ito City: currently 1,800 yen for adults and 900 yen for children, and 2,150 yen / 1,080 yen for passes sold from October 1, 2026. For a loop of Ito Station → Ippekiko → Shaboten Koen → Ito Station, single fares add up to 640 + 380 + 880 = 1,900 yen until September 30 (pass 1,800 yen) and 740 + 440 + 1,010 = 2,190 yen from October 1 (pass 2,150 yen), so the pass wins either way (sources: Tokai Bus fare revision table (PDF); Tokai Bus 2-Day Pass; Tokai Bus IC card guide, checked 2026-09-23).

Izu Shaboten Zoo is at the end of the same bus route, which makes the two an easy pair for one day. Zoo tickets, hours and dog rules are in our Izu Shaboten Zoo guide. If you are still working out the train from Tokyo, see Tokyo to Ito by train.

Driving and parking

• The tourist association lists "parking available (coin parking nearby)".
• The lakeshore operator, IPPEKIKO NATIONAL PARK, runs a car park with 70 spaces at 200 yen per hour (maximum 600 yen). It is free if you spend 2,000 yen or more at its shops.
• The same operator gives the distance from Ito Station as about 12 km, around 20 minutes by car (sources: Ito Tourist Association, Lake Ippeki; IPPEKIKO NATIONAL PARK, checked 2026-09-23).

Boats, kayaks and fishing

Activities on the water are run by the lakeshore operator IPPEKIKO NATIONAL PARK (checked 2026-09-23):

• Five kinds of sightseeing boats, including the classic swan pedal boats, a large three-wheeled cycle boat and sleeker pedal boats. Dogs can ride with you.
• HOBIE boats, added on April 26, 2024 and imported from California. The operator says they need less effort and move faster than conventional pedal boats.
• Guided kayak tours with an instructor; reservation required.
• Fishing for black bass and herabuna (crucian carp), from the shore or from a fishing boat. The operator notes that in 1960 the then Crown Prince Akihito released bluegill here, the first in Japan.
• Boat prices and operating hours are not published on the operator's website, so they are not quoted here. Ask at the boat pier.

On a small island in Oike (経島), there is a shrine to the goddess Benzaiten, enshrined from Enoshima, and a vermilion torii gate stands in the lake. The tourist association notes you can take a rental boat close to it (source: Ito Tourist Association bus-trip feature, checked 2026-09-23).

Lakeside cafés (only those confirmed officially)

These shops and hours are listed on the IPPEKIKO NATIONAL PARK official site (checked 2026-09-23):

• A gourd-shaped foot bath sits next to ITONOWA (not operated in every season).
• A 60 m pier with a 300 m² deck opened in summer 2022.
• The operator says dogs are "very welcome", but allowed areas differ by shop, so ask at each one.
• The official sites checked do not say whether English menus are available or which payment methods the shops accept. Carry some cash in case.

Seasons

• Autumn leaves: the tourist association highlights the trees turning red around the lake in the autumn-colour season.
• Wild cherry in spring: the lakeshore operator recommends the spring mountain cherries and the autumn colours.
• Chojiso (チョウジソウ, Amsonia): the tourist association says the colony at the water's edge is said to be the only wild one in Shizuoka Prefecture.
• Along the path are Ippekiko Shrine, a poetry monument to the poets Yosano Tekkan and Akiko, and panels telling the lake's legends (Ministry of the Environment).
• Festival and event dates are not kept on this page; see Ito festivals and events 2026–2027 (Japan-Event).

Planning the day

• Ride to Izu Shaboten Zoo in the morning and stop at Ippekiko on the way back (or the reverse). As worked out above, the 2-day pass is cheaper for those three rides both before and after the October 1 fare change.
• Because of the closure, budget your lake walk as an out-and-back rather than a loop.
• Luggage storage at the lake is not mentioned on any official page checked, so leave large bags in a locker at Ito Station.
• To end the day with a soak near the station, the Ito Onsen public bathhouses (Shichifukujin baths) are within walking distance of Ito Station.

Frequently asked questions

Q. How do you pronounce Ippekiko? A. "Ip-peh-kee-ko" (いっぺきこ). "Ko" means lake, so Ippekiko and Lake Ippeki are the same place, nicknamed "the Eye of Izu" (Ito Tourist Association and Ministry of the Environment, checked 2026-09-23).

Q. Can I walk all the way around Lake Ippeki? A. No. Since October 31, 2025, the Oike path between Momiji Hiroba and the area below Oike Elementary School on the northwest shore has been closed with no detour. We found no announcement that it has reopened as of 2026-09-23. Follow the signs on site (Ito Tourist Association, checked 2026-09-23).

Q. How do I get to Lake Ippeki from Ito Station? A. Take Tokai Bus from stop 5 for "Shaboten Koen" via "Ippekiko", about 36 minutes, and get off at "Ippekiko", a minute from the lake. The fare is 640 yen, 740 yen from October 1, 2026, and Suica/PASMO work (Tokai Bus, checked 2026-09-23).

Q. Can I rent a boat, and can my dog come? A. Yes. The lakeshore operator IPPEKIKO NATIONAL PARK runs five kinds of sightseeing boats, including swan pedal boats, plus guided kayak tours that need a reservation, and dogs can ride with you. Prices are not published online, so ask at the pier (checked 2026-09-23).

Q. Is there parking? A. The operator's car park has 70 spaces at 200 yen per hour (maximum 600 yen), free if you spend 2,000 yen or more at its shops. The tourist association also mentions coin parking nearby (checked 2026-09-23).

Sources and update policy

Key facts come from the Ministry of the Environment's Numazu office leaflet and the Ito Tourist Association; the closure from the tourist association's notice; bus details from Tokai Bus; and boats, shops and parking from the lakeshore operator IPPEKIKO NATIONAL PARK, all read on 2026-09-23. If the closure is lifted or prices change, this page will be updated at the same URL.

Update history: 2026-09-23 created from official sources