, also called Sea of Happiness, is a scenic
lake
A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...
in
Nikkō National Park in the city of
Nikkō
is a Cities of Japan, city in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. , the city's population was 80,239, in 36,531 households. The population density was 55 persons per km2. The total area of the city is .
Nikkō is a popular destination for Japanese and ...
,
Tochigi Prefecture
is a landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Tochigi Prefecture has a population of 1,897,649 (1 June 2023) and has a geographic area of 6,408 Square kilometre, km2 (2,474 Square mile, sq mi ...
,
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
. It was created 20,000 years ago when
Mount Nantai (2484 m) erupted and blocked the river.
The lake has a surface area of 11.62 km
2 and a circumference of 25 km. Its elevation at the surface is 1,269 m (4,124 ft), and the water reaches a depth of 163 m (508 ft). The
Yukawa River is the principal source of water. It drains through the
Kegon Falls.
Chuzenji Lake was discovered in 782 by a priest named Shōdō when his group succeeded in climbing Mt. Nantai. Considered sacred, the mountain was closed to women, horses, and cows until 1872. In the middle of the Meiji period and early Showa period, many European embassies built vacation houses around the lake. The former Italian villa has been renewed and is now open to visitors. Other sites around the lake include Futara Shrine built in 790, Chuzenji Temple, and Kegon Falls.
In spring, cherry blossoms are blooming. In summer, people can escape the heat and enjoy bird watching and hiking. In fall of course, there are the famous beautiful autumn leaves and in winter there is the Snow and Ice Festival, plus winter sports like skiing and skating.
The lake was a favourite summer haunt of
Sir Ernest Satow
Sir Ernest Mason Satow (30 June 1843 – 26 August 1929), was a British diplomat, scholar and Japanologist. He is better known in Japan, where he was known as , than in Britain or the other countries in which he served as a diplomat. He was ...
when he was Britain's envoy in Japan from 1895 to 1900, as his diaries of that time attest. He constructed a house by the lake which was used as a villa by the British Embassy for over a century.
[''The Diaries of Sir Ernest Satow, British Minister in Tokyo (1895-1900)'', Edited by Ian Ruxton, 2003]
Views of Lake Chūzenji
中禅寺湖と赤い大鳥居.jpg, View from hotel Hana-an
Lake Chūzenji in autumn.jpg, Fall colors at the lake
Lake Chuzenjiko and snowpack 2.JPG, Winter at the lake
Lake Chuzenji - 2021 10 29.webm, Sunny view of the lake
Sources
*Encyclopædia Britannica
Lake Chūzenji accessed on September 20, 2009
*''The Diaries of Sir Ernest Satow, British Minister in Tokyo (1895-1900)'', edited by Ian Ruxton, lulu.com, 2003
References
Chuzenji
Nikkō, Tochigi
{{Tochigi-geo-stub