Lake Tazawa

Almost circular with a perimeter of 20 km and depth of 423.4 m, Lake Tazawa is Japan’s deepest lake. The lake is home to many tourism spots including hotels, a herbal garden and Black Kokanee Future Museum in and around the main area of Haruyama, as well as rental bike services to cycle around the lake.
Cruise boats (operating only from late April to the end of October) are popular with visitors and run every other hour from the front of Lake Tazawa Rest House. Leaving Shirahama Port, it stops for five minutes each at Gozanoishi Port on the north shore, where you’ll see Gozanoishi Shrine, and Katajiri Port on the west bank with its statue of Tatsuko, and then cruises back to Shirahama Port. Stunning scenery awaits you every season, especially with the cherry blossoms, early spring greenery and fiery fall colors, as you visit major sightseeing spots.
Adored as the symbol of the lake, the golden statue of Tatsuko stands out of the deep blue water. The statue was created to pay homage to the legend that once upon a time, a girl named Tatsuko drank the water from a spring, wishing for eternal beauty. Instantly the spring turned into a lake, turning Tatsuko into a dragon, and she disappeared into the lake’s depths.