Often obscured by thick layers of mist, Mashu Lake is one of the clearest lakes in Japan.
Created from a volcanic eruption about 2000 years ago caused a large pit. The time it took for the snow to melt and the rain to fill the crater forms the lake today. Mashu Lake is located on the island of Hokkaido is a sacred place, bringing the mysteries in Japanese folk beliefs.
Located in Akan-Mashu National Park on the island of Hokkaido, the Ainu people in Japan call Mashu Lake Kumuito, meaning "Lake of the Gods". In it, Mashu is the common name for a nearby mountain. But few people know that the original name called by the ancestors of the Ainu, is "the lake of demons".
Mashu Lake has an area of about 19.2 km2, 351 m high above sea level and surrounded by cliffs of 200 m or more with an angle of 45 degrees. It is also the deepest lake in Japan, with a depth of 212 m.
The lake is often covered with dense fog
In a year, there are more than 100 days, Mashu Lake is covered with dense fog. The maximum fog time usually occurs in June and July every year. When the fog cleared, a new lake appeared. The deep blue of the water surface sometimes changes over time.
Looking down at the deep hole smoked more than 200 m with the surrounding virtual air makes people more easily overwhelmed.
Lake Mashu on winter days
According to legend, there was a woman’s soul in the lake. Anyone looking down at the lake when covered with white mist will be unlucky, men cannot go far in their career, women will have difficulty having children, single people will not marry, and people with families will broken. But of course, the above is just a story of legend.
The deep blue water color sometimes changes over time
Without access, Mashu Lake has remained pristine for millennia. In August 1931, the transparency of the lake was 41.6 m and the Baika freshwater lake in Russia was 40.5 m. It is also the basis for the Japanese to be proud of their most transparent lake in the world.
Guests can enjoy the beauty of the lake from the observation deck above
Thanks to its pristine beauty, Mashu Lake attracts a lot of tourists to admire. Due to the fog that limited visibility and the 200-meter-high cliff surrounding the lake, the Japanese government has prohibited visitors from accessing Mashu Lake for safety reasons. Unable to get close, visitors can only look down on the mysterious water from one of the three observatories from the shore.
