Mount Nantai
Above the lake.
Joli Rumi — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Raita Futo from Tokyo, Japan — CC BY 2.0 · Raita Futo from Tokyo, Japan — CC BY 2.0 · Raita Futo from Tokyo, Japan — CC BY 2.0 · 663highland — CC BY-SA 4.0
Lake Chūzenji is a mountain lake in Nikkō National Park in the city of Nikkō, Tochigi Prefecture, about 12 km in a straight line west of central Nikkō. It formed about 20,000 years ago when Mount Nantai, 2,484 m high, erupted and its lava blocked the river. The lake covers about 11.6 square kilometres with a circumference of 25 km, lies at 1,269 m and reaches 163 m deep. It is fed by the Yukawa River and drains over the famous Kegon Falls. A priest named Shōdō found it in 782 when his group climbed Mount Nantai, and from the late 19th to the early 20th century many European embassies built summer houses on its shore; the former Italian villa has been restored and is open to visitors. The cone of Nantai rises above deep blue water, and forested mountains ring the lake, turning red, orange and gold in autumn. Small boats moor at Shōbugahama beach, mist often wraps the mountains in the morning, and from the surrounding heights the whole lake spreads out below. Walking around the lake is free. The winding Iroha-zaka road up from Nikkō gets very crowded at peak autumn colour in October, so go early, and the lake is cool at this altitude, so bring a jacket.
Above the lake.
In October.
Small boats.
Nikkō National Park, Tochigi, Japan
October for autumn colour; expect crowds.
Yes.
