is the westernmost of the Fuji Five Lakes and located on the border of the towns of

Fujikawaguchiko is a town located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 26,542 in 10618 households, and a population density of 170 persons per km2. The total area of the town is . Geography Fujikawaguchiko is located in sou ...

and Minobu in southern

Yamanashi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Yamanashi Prefecture has a population of 817,192 (1 January 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,465 km2 (1,724 sq mi). Yamanashi Prefecture borders Saitama Prefecture to the ...

near

Mount Fuji , or Fugaku, located on the island of Honshū, is the highest mountain in Japan, with a summit elevation of . It is the second-highest volcano located on an island in Asia (after Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra), and seventh-highest ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

. Lake Motosu is the third-largest of the Fuji Five Lakes in terms of surface area, and is the deepest, with a maximum water depth of , making it the ninth-deepest

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

in Japan. Its surface elevation of is the same as for Lake Shōji and Lake Sai, confirming that these three lakes were originally a single lake, which was divided by an enormous lava flow from Mount Fuji. The remnants of the lava flow are now under the Aokigahara Jukai Forest, and there is evidence to indicate that these three lakes remain connected by underground waterways. The temperature of the water never drops below , making it the only one of the Fuji Five Lakes that does not freeze in winter. The lake is within the borders of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. As with the other Fuji Five Lakes, the area is a popular resort, with many lakeside hotels, windsurfing facilities, camp sites, and excursion boats.

Rainbow trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead (sometimes called "steelhead trout") is an anadromous (sea-run) form of the coast ...

and

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morp ...

were introduced to the lake in the

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

, and sports fishing is also popular. However, in recent years, reduced water transparency due to pollution from these activities has been a growing issue. The lake and its view of Mount Fuji were featured on Series D of the Japanese 5000-yen note and Series E of the Japanese 1000-yen note.

In popular culture

*In '' Inuyasha the Movie: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass'', in the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

, the lake has a mountain castle led by a daiyōkai Princess Kaguya, as according to Akitoki Hōjō that a saying a priest told his family once that the castle in the lake is "unreachable by mortals", and Inuyasha's Robe of the Fire-rat as

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames ...

is in this lake to undo Monk Miyatsu's seal to free Kaguya out of Mirror of Life. * Lake Motosu features prominently in the anime series ''

Laid-Back Camp , also known in Japan as ''Yuru Camp'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Afro. Set in and around Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, the series chronicles the adventures of Rin Shima, Nadeshiko Kagamihara, and their friend ...

''. Visitor numbers rose after the first season aired.

Gallery

File:Series D 5K Yen bank of japan note - back.jpg, Reverse side of former 5000-yen banknote File:Mount Fuji and Mount Ryu from Lake Motosu.jpg, Mount Fuji and Mount Ryu File:LakeMotosu-2022-08-27.webm, thumbtime=1, A sunny day beside the lake File:Jumping into Lake Motosu - 2018 (43570190795).jpg, Recreational activities at the lake

References

*Rafferty, John P. Plate Tectonics, Volcanoes, and Earthquakes. Rosen Publishing (2010),

Notes

External links

Map
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home page
{{Fuji Five Lakes Motosu Tourist attractions in Yamanashi Prefecture Landforms of Yamanashi Prefecture Mount Fuji Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Minobu, Yamanashi

In popular culture

Gallery

See also

References

Notes

External links