Lake Nojiri is a natural lake located on a plateau at an altitude of 654 meters. With an area of 4.56 km2, it is the second largest lake in Nagano Prefecture after Lake Suwa. The water depth is 39 m, and the reservoir volume is said to be larger than that of Lake Suwa. It is sandwiched between Mt. Ikarao to the east and Mt. Kurohime to the west, and offers a lovely view when viewed with the mountains in the background.
Lake Nojiri is famous for wakasagi (smelt) fishing in winter, but in recent years the lake has stopped freezing over and fishing on a kamaboko boat (houseboat) seems to be popular. The inside of the boat is warm and even beginners can enjoy fishing.
Naumann elephant fossils have been excavated from the bottom of Lake Nojiri, and the Lake Nojiri Naumann Elephant Museum is located by the lake. The museum exhibits not only the fossils of Naumann elephants and other animals, but also stone tools and bone and antler implements from that period. Life-size statues of a Naumann elephant and a bighorn deer are also on display, and their gigantic size is astonishing. Visitors can also enjoy listening to the sounds of the Naumann elephants.
There are also a number of sauna facilities by the lake, and it is possible to jump into the lake after taking a sauna. This is a great place for sauna lovers.
By train: 10 minutes by cab from Kurohime Station on the Kita-Shinano Line of the Shinano Railway. By car, access is easy: 3.7 km from the Shinanomachi IC on the Joshinetsu Expressway.
You can drive around the lake in a car, but the warmer weather that day brought little snow, and the scenery was hazy and disappointing. In the spring, a sightseeing boat will be in operation, so it would be good to come back in a different season.
© Source travel watch
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