Saturday, August 23, 2008

Lake Tazawako

July 20th being a Sunday, me and hubby decided to take it easy and relax at home watching some television program. All of a sudden hubby decided that we go to see lake Tazawako, and I also got into the mood. The lake was about 1.5 hours drive from home. Lake Tazawako is a crater lake, situated almost in the center of the eastern part of Akita Prefecture, and is 423 meters deep, which is the deepest in Japan. Its transparency, of about 30 meters, ranks second in Japan. Surrounded by a gentle range of hills, the almost perfectly circular lake is filled with sapphire-blue water with lots of fishes.
We reached the lake at about 4.45 pm, which was rather late. First we went to see the statue of Princess Tatsuko. The legend says that Tatsuko, a girl with rare beauty, desired permanent youth and beauty and prayed to the Goddess Kannon. On the hundredth day, the Goddess told her to drink water from the spring in the north and her desire would be fulfilled. However, the more water she drank, the thirstier she became. Finally, she turned into a dragon and went deep into the lake where she lives as its guardian sprit. It was a bit cloudy at the time we reached there, but the view was amazing. There were more than 100 sightseers at that time of the day also! We could not watch and enjoy the view for a long time as other people were waiting to take photos from the choice spots. Sitting on one of the big stones near the lake, I was surprised to notice the very clear and transparent water of the lake with many fishes swimming! Here are a few photos. I could make my hubby also to pose for a photo!







Then we went by our car (as hubby does not like walking) to the opposite end of the lake and took swan-shaped boat with pedals and did boating for about 30 min. Initially I was a bit reluctant as I am not that proficient in swimming, but once we started boating I realized that it was really worth! The view from the lake was breath-taking. The sky had cleared by this time and the scenary around us was amazing. The fishes were constantly swimming alongside the boat. Here are a few photos and a video of the boating.







We completed the day by having dinner at "Peacock" the Indian restaurant in Akita city. We were a happy but tired couple by the end of the day. However, hubby had to drive for an hour to reach back home, but he does not mind driving!

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