Lake Chuzenji

Located in the center of Oku-Nikko, Lake Chuzenji is one of the highest lakes in Japan at 1,269 meters above sea level.

The lake is filled with clear water, and the surrounding area offers beautiful scenery in each of the four seasons. The azaleas in early summer and the autumn leaves in fall are especially beautiful.

The lake has been selected as one of the 100 most scenic spots in Japan, and there are many representative Oku-Nikko sights along its shores, including the Chugu Shrine of the Nikko Futaarasan Shrine, the Nikko-zan Chuzenji Temple (Tachiki Kannon), Chuzenji Hot Springs, Kegon Falls, Ryuzu Falls, and Senjogahara.

Campgrounds, boat rentals, and sightseeing boats are also located along the lakeside, allowing visitors to enjoy outdoor leisure activities. Lined with large hotels, inns, and souvenir shops, Oku-Nikko is a popular tourist spot visited by many people throughout the year.

Because of its mild climate, the area was also popular as a summer resort for foreigners from the Meiji period to the early Showa period.

It measures approximately 6.5 kilometers from east to west, 1.8 kilometers from north to south, and 25 kilometers in circumference, with a maximum water depth of 163 meters.

With an elevation of 1,269 meters above sea level, it is the highest lake in Japan with an area of more than 4 square kilometers, excluding man-made lakes.

A sightseeing boat ride is recommended to enjoy the scenery from the lake. During the fall foliage season, a cruise boat with a course that circles the lake is also available. Please visit Lake Chuzenji and enjoy the beauty of nature.

The best time to view the autumn leaves is generally from early to mid-October at Lake Yunoko and Yudaki, mid-October (autumn leaves) and late October (yellow leaves and larch) at Kotoku Ranch, late September to early October (grass autumn leaves), mid to mid-October (autumn leaves) and late October (yellow leaves and larch) at Senjogahara and Odashirobara, early to mid-October at Ryuzuto Falls, and early to mid-October at Lake Chuzenji. Lake Chuzenji from mid to late October, Kegon Falls from mid to late October, and Iroha-zaka from mid to late October. However, the best time to visit may vary from year to year, so it is recommended to inquire in advance before visiting.

This area of the lake is known as a sacred place of mountain worship and has long been off-limits to women. Many historical sites and legends remain in the surrounding area.

Boathouse by Lake Chuzenji

This is a rest facility built on the shore of Lake Chuzenji, where visitors can enjoy the beautiful scenery. The boathouse was built in 1947, modeled after waterfront resorts in the United States. The building was restored to faithfully reproduce its original appearance.

The boats displayed in the boathouse on the first floor were once owned by the Belgian Royal Embassy Villa on the shore of Lake Chuzenji, and were donated and restored by Tochigi Prefecture in 2009.

There is a deck on the lake where visitors can enjoy a wonderful view. The store also sells original products.

Lake Chuzenji Cruising

This is a sightseeing boat for enjoying the beautiful scenery. You can see the seasonal beauty of nature up close and enjoy the beauty of fresh greenery and autumn leaves along the lakeside, as well as famous landmarks such as Mt. Nantai and Mt. Shirane, the Italian Embassy Villa Memorial Park, Nikko-san Chuzenji Tachiki-Kannon, Nikko Futaarasan Shrine Chugu Shrine, Shobugahama Beach, and more.

In addition to the course around Lake Chuzenji, several other courses are available for passengers to choose from according to their preferences. Sightseeing information is narrated on board, and is recommended for first-time visitors.

Lake Chuzenji is located in Nikko National Park and is the 25th largest lake in Japan.

This dammed lake was formed by the eruption of Mt. Nantai about 20,000 years ago, and is the highest lake in Japan (excluding man-made lakes with an area of 4 km2 or more). It is also the largest lake in Tochigi Prefecture.

It takes about 9 hours to walk around the lake, as it takes about 25 km to go around the circumference. Mt. Nantai rises in the north of the lake, and Senjogahara stretches to the northwest.

Lake Chuzenji is now known as a tourist attraction, but it was once discovered by Shodo Shonin, who is believed to have founded Mt. Nikko, and was regarded as an important place of worship and ascetic practice. Part of the remains of Shodo Shonin are housed on Uenojima Island, about 100 meters from the lakeshore.

On the south side of the lake is Hacchodeshima, a long and narrow peninsula, which is also known for its beautiful autumn foliage. It is also said that Yakushi Nyorai was once enshrined at a place called Yakushido Ato. Lake Chuzenji has been selected as one of the 100 most scenic spots in Japan.

A sightseeing boat operates on the lake, offering beautiful views of the lakeside from the lake.

Lake Chuzenji was once devoid of fish, but since the Meiji era (1868-1912), the lake has been stocked with fish and is now home to 24 species of fish, including trout, largemouth bass, wakasagi, carp, carp, crucian carp, crucian carp, cyprinid trout, and honmasu (Japanese trout).

In particular, the young Japanese cyprinids bred in the lake are released and caught by seine nets and other methods, and play an important role as a local specialty and tourist resource. Honmasu are considered to be a crossbreed between landlocked salmon and loach trout.

Human History
Before Meiji Era

It is said that in 782, Shodo Shonin discovered Lake Chuzenji while climbing Mt. Katsudo then enshrined Shinto and Buddhist deities by the lake, and in 784 he built Jinguji Temple (later Chuzenji Temple), a “sacred place” for faith and ascetic practice. Initially, Chuzenji Temple was located where the current Nikko Futaarasan Shrine and Chugu Shrine are located, and was dedicated to the Thousand-Armed Kannon (Tachiki-Kannon) that Katsumichi saw on the lake.

After Katsumichi’s death in 817 (Konin 8), because of the close connection between him and Chuzenji Lake, Uenojima was built about 100 meters from the lake shore to house his partial remains.

After Meiji Era

In 1873, the Fisheries Agency’s Aquaculture Research Institute conducted the first release of iwana (Salvelinus leucomaenis), which had been living in the rivers in the lower reaches of the lake.

In 1876, Emperor Meiji visited Lake Chuzenji and named it “Lake of Sachi no Lake.” In 1878, Isabella Bird wrote a letter praising the lake and describing the beauty of the lake’s reflection of Mount Nantai and the autumn leaves.

In 1902, Chuzenji Temple was damaged by the Daisen tsunami, but the Senju Kannon (Tachiki-Kannon) floated unharmed on the lake and continued to be enshrined at the reconstructed Chuzenji Temple. In the same year, pike were also released into the lake.

In 1906, hime-masu trout were released from Lake Towada.

From the mid-Meiji period to the early Showa period, embassy villas of Western countries were built around Lake Chuzenji, and the area became a resort where diplomats visited for summer vacations.

In 1943, the “Kounoko Downstream Water Improvement Project” was completed, and water from Lake Chuzenji was supplied to Tochigi and Ibaraki prefectures for irrigation.

After the War

World War II caused a temporary decline in tourism, but after the war, with the opening of the Iroha slope, access became easier, and the area became popular for its fresh greenery in spring and autumn foliage in fall.

In 1963, the Chuzenji-ko Fishery Cooperative Association was established, and trout and other fish were released into the lake, and the resources were maintained by release and natural reproduction.

From the 1980s, the proliferation of bubbles and yellow flagellate algae was observed in the lake water, and the occurrence of a freshwater red tide phenomenon was reported. This also caused the lake’s tap water to have a strange odor.

Since the early 1990s, the number of returning brown trout has shown an unexplained downward trend, from 10,000 fish in the past to less than 1,000 fish in 2007.