Lake Chūzenji

Hands down to the most beautiful lake I’ve ever witnessed. We visited in the second week of Oct 2025 and I was totally mesmerised after arriving here. Trees had leaves which were in yellow, red and green. It was officially the place where we witnessed the first autumn with fall leaves. Although it was around 14 degrees there I forgot that it was cold by witnessing the surroundings.

Beautiful scenery, fresh air, walking around the lake has many beautiful scenes. The lake is large, the water is clear blue.

A bit late with this review, but I wanted to share my experience at Chuzenji Lake for anyone planning a winter visit. I went in early February, and the winter atmosphere was fantastic—almost no people around. It wasn’t snowing that day, but it was very cold, around -5°C. Not many restaurants or cafés were open, but there were grilled Ayu fish sold —perfect for warming up while standing and eating. The snowy scenery around the lake was absolutely beautiful, and it was so relaxing to just enjoy the view. If you’re planning a winter trip here, take a look at the photos to get a sense of the atmosphere.

One of the highlights of our Japan trip. Lake Chuzenji is gloriously beautiful - breathtaking. We enjoyed the sunrise and sunsets immensely. There's also the cruise which is part of the Nikko 4-Day Pass. A must experience!

Chuzenji is Japan’s highest natural lake, if you visit at autumn, color will be better. When I visited at end of sept, it was still surround by green.

Lake Chūzenji is one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. Fall colors are not to be missed. Sightseeing boat ride 中禪寺湖乘船 takes one hour and makes four stops around the lake. Boat ride starts at 9 am every hour on the hour. Tickets can be purchased at the pier ticket office. Cost 1850 yen per person . We enjoyed the scenery on boat, nice and easy way to go around the lake.

Lake Chuzenji is absolutely peaceful and mesmerizing—I couldn’t stop staring at its beauty. There’s a scenic 25 km walking path around the lake’s entire perimeter, perfect for nature lovers. You can also enjoy the lake up close with a cruise ride, speed boat, or paddle boat, each giving a different charm of the surroundings. I highly recommend staying at least a full day in the lake area to truly soak in its magic. It feels like heaven on earth!

October 27 many years ago. These photos capture the atmosphere better than words ever could 💚

We were advised that a day trip to Nikko was a must to break up the craziness of visiting Tokyo. Nikko is a 2 1/2 hour train ride out of a Tokyo and can easily be made into a day trip, overnight or weekend getaway. For So. Cal. folks, think Blue Jay, with Lake Chuzenjiko being Big Bear. When you get to Nikko train station, you then take a 45 minute bus the rest of the way up the mountain. We spent no time at all in Nikko and headed up to the lake. This is a truly gorgeous part of the country and the lake sits at 4,163 ft. above seal level. Really a four-season part of Japan. The snow pictures looked exciting and we know there is activity on the lake for summer and cherry blossoms in the spring. We had the good fortune of watching the red, yellow and orange leaves in the fall. Our late October visit rewarded us with temperatures in the low 60's and gorgeous fall colors. If it's crowded, avoid the ropeway (cablecar) and save the trouble. You'll miss out on the view looking down at the lake but save hours waiting in lines for the cable car and bus. Trust me. Your time is better spent at the lake itself. Their is an onsen (bathhouse), hotels, lots of restaurants, shops that specialize in wood carving and the beautiful lake. Deer and bears are seen in lots of photos but we spent our time up here on the water taking a 90-min. scenic cruise. The boat ride was cheap and offered amazing views. They also rent motor boats and pedal boats. We saw fishermen in small row boats and sailboats and tents on the beach. A really special place to unwind from the craziness of Tokyo.

Quite beautiful especially with the good weather today. When I was visiting, the weather which had originally been overcast became sunny. This definitely made a difference because the azure color of the lake water and the beautiful mountain scenery around the lake comes to life with light. At about 50 minutes by bus away from Tobu-Nikko, Chuzenji Lake is quite a trip, but well worth it.