Verified in Japan

Nikko, Tochigi / 中禅寺湖

Lake Chuzenji

A lake 1,269 m above sea level at the foot of Mt. Nantai, about 25 km around and 163 m deep, popular with foreign visitors as a summer retreat from the Meiji era to the early Showa era.

A deep blue lake below a cone-shaped green mountain, seen from a hillside
Lake Chuzenji and Mt. Nantai (photo taken June 2008)Photo: Uraomote yamaneko / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized) · License · Source

Last official check

25 Sept 2026

Traveler reports

0

Reports open in Phase 2

Next scheduled check

24 Dec 2026

Decide before you go

A short summary made from the official facts below. Check the rows for details.

Getting there
Train / Bus / Car

Before you go

Only facts we confirmed on official sources are shown. Anything else is listed under “Not yet confirmed”.

Getting there

About 50 minutes by Tobu bus from JR Nikko or Tobu Nikko Station to Chuzenji Onsen, then about 5 minutes on foot; about 20 minutes by car from Kiyotaki IC.

Checked 25 Sept 2026 on a tourism board site
Parking

Use the prefectural car parks in the Okunikko area.

Checked 25 Sept 2026 on a tourism board site
Not yet confirmed

Opening hours, Closed, Admission, Payment, Accessibility

we have not confirmed this on an official source yet. Check with the spot before you go.

Found wrong or outdated information? Let us know

Address: Nikko, Tochigi (Japanese address: 栃木県日光市中宮祠)

Official site: https://www.tochigiji.or.jp/spot/s5902/

Location

Smaller pins are other spots nearby.

Open in Google MapsGet directions

Nearby spots

Distances are straight-line distances, not travel distances.

Crowds

Busiest season

Autumn colours usually peak in mid to late October; azaleas in early summer are also lovely.

Checked 25 Sept 2026 on a tourism board site
Not yet confirmed

Crowd level, Best time to visit, Peak time, Busiest days

no official source yet, and not enough traveler reports.

Latest traveler report
None yet

In the autumn leaf season the Irohazaka road can barely move; the Nikko tourism association publishes a traffic-jam forecast calendar and off-peak times and detours.Checked 25 Sept 2026 on a tourism board site

Traveler crowd data by time of day appears after 5 traveler reports (0 so far).

You can check typical busy hours in Google Maps ("Popular times" on the place's page). Open this spot in Google Maps

Verification log