Lake Motosu

Lake Motosu is one of the Fuji Five Lakes, located in Yamanashi near the center of Honshu. It is part of Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park and remains an outdoor field with untouched nature. Lake Motosu is the deepest of the Fuji Five Lakes (121.6 m) and has the highest transparency, showing an emerald-green color. The Mt. Fuji image on the back of the 1,000-yen bill depicts the view from Lake Motosu, where you can also see the famous “upside-down Mt. Fuji” reflected on the lake surface. The lakeshore is great for camping, fishing for himemasu (kokanee/sockeye-type trout), and activities like canoeing, kayaking, windsurfing, and altitude diving. Autumn foliage is also spectacular—cherry trees, rowan, beech, and maple turn vivid colors and beautifully decorate the shore. Access: by train/bus, take a bus from Kawaguchiko Station (Fujikyu Railway) for about 50 minutes; get off at “Motosuko” bus stop, right nearby. By car, about 30 minutes from Kawaguchiko IC on the Chuo Expressway.