Lake Chūzenji
A lake high in Nikkō National Park, formed some 20,000 years ago when an eruption of Mount Nantai blocked a river. Its shores are lined with maples that turn red in autumn, and foreign embassies once kept summer villas along it.
- Where
- Nikkō, Tochigi, Japan
- Grade
- Local gem
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site
- Coordinates
- 36.7406, 139.4622
Get the Lake Chūzenji stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Lake Chūzenji. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Tochigi volume with your photos and a note.
Near Lake Chūzenji
Kegon Falls 3.6 km
A waterfall of about 97 metres where Lake Chūzenji spills into the Daiya River, in Nikkō National Park. It formed when lava flows rerouted the river, and about twelve smaller falls seep from cracks in the rock around it.
Futarasan Shrine 12 km
A Shinto shrine in Nikkō, beside Tōshō-gū, dedicated to the gods of the sacred mountains around the town. Both it and a shrine in Utsunomiya claim to be the ichinomiya, the first shrine, of old Shimotsuke Province.
Nikkō Tōshō-gū 12 km
The shrine where Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, is enshrined, set among tall cedars in Nikkō. Its buildings are lavishly carved, painted and gilded, from the Yōmeimon gate to the famous panel of the three wise monkeys.
Rinnō-ji 13 km
A Tendai Buddhist temple in Nikkō, the most important temple among the town's shrines and temples. Its main hall, the Sanbutsudō, holds three large gilded statues of Buddhist deities.
Tomioka Silk Mill 75 km
Japan's oldest modern silk reeling factory, set up by the government in 1872 to bring French machine reeling to the country. Its long brick buildings survive in very good condition, and in 2014 it was listed as a World Heritage Site.
Jigokudani Monkey Park 89 km
A steep valley in Joshinetsu Kogen National Park where wild Japanese macaques soak in hot spring pools, most memorably in winter snow. The name means Hell's Valley, for the steam and boiling water that rise from cracks in the frozen ground.
Rikugi-en 115 km
A daimyō garden in Bunkyō whose name means garden of six principles, after the six elements of waka poetry. A path winds round its pond, trees and small hill, and its weeping cherry and autumn maples are famous across the city.
Inokashira Park 116 km
A park in western Tokyo around Inokashira Pond, a source of the Kanda River since the Edo period. Rowing boats and swan boats cross the pond under cherry trees, and the Ghibli Museum stands within its grounds.
More hidden gems in Tochigi
Questions
Where is Lake Chūzenji?
Lake Chūzenji is in Nikkō, Tochigi, Japan. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Kegon Falls (3.6 km), Futarasan Shrine (12 km), Nikkō Tōshō-gū (12 km).
How do I get the Lake Chūzenji stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Lake Chūzenji and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Tochigi volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Lake Chūzenji before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Tochigi volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.