Lake Yamanaka

It is one of the Fuji Five Lakes, located in Yamanakako Village, Minamitsuru County, in the southeastern part of Yamanashi Prefecture, and is the easternmost of the five lakes. Located at the northern foot of Kagosaka Pass, the lake is surrounded by wide, undulating mountain slopes. It has an area of ​​6.8 square kilometers, a circumference of 14 kilometers, and an elevation of 981 meters, making it the largest of the five lakes. Its maximum depth is 13.3 meters, making it the shallowest of the five lakes. It is a dammed lake created by the eruption of Mt. Fuji, and the Katsura River serves as its outlet. Underground water from Mt. Fuji springs out from the bottom of the lake, and it is said that there are large local changes in water temperature. The visibility is 5.5 meters, and the water color is not beautiful, but it is a mesotrophic lake with a wide variety of fish, making it a good target for fishing and fishing. Not only is Mt. Fuji beautiful, but the area's high altitude makes it possible to escape the heat in the summer and enjoy ice recreation in the winter. This once isolated village has transformed from the era of Asahigaoka, a high-end villa area, into one of the prefecture's leading long-stay resort destinations. Among the Fuji Five Lakes, this lake is the most conveniently located, with access to the Chuo Expressway, Tomei Expressway, and even Yamabushi Pass in the east along the Doshi Valley. In 2013, the Fuji Five Lakes, including Lake Yamanaka, were registered on the World Heritage List as "Mt. Fuji - a place of worship and a source of artistic inspiration", along with the Mt. Fuji region, surrounding shrines, Oshino Hakkai, and other constituent assets.

[Minoru Yoshimura]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

山梨県南東部、南都留(みなみつる)郡山中湖村にある富士五湖の一湖で、五湖中最東端に位置する。篭坂(かごさか)峠の北麓(ほくろく)に位置し、湖の周囲は波浪状の起伏をもつ山麓斜面が広い。面積6.8平方キロメートル、周囲14キロメートル、標高は981メートルで五湖中の最高。最大深度は13.3メートルと五湖中最浅。富士山の噴火による堰止湖(せきとめこ)で、桂川(かつらがわ)が排水口になっている。湖底には富士山の伏流水が湧出(ゆうしゅつ)し、局所的な水温変化が大きいといわれる。透明度は5.5メートルで、水色は美しさに欠けるが、中栄養湖であり魚の種類も豊富で釣り、漁の対象となっている。富士山の美しさばかりでなく、標高が高く夏の避暑、冬の氷上レクリエーションの可能な地域であり、かつての寒村は旭日(あさひ)ヶ丘の高級別荘地時代を経て、県内屈指の滞在型の保養観光地に変化している。富士五湖のなかでも、中央自動車道、東名高速道路、さらには東の山伏峠から道志(どうし)の谷沿いにと、交通至便の位置を占める湖である。2013年（平成25）に山中湖を含め富士五湖は、富士山域や周辺の神社、忍野八海(おしのはっかい)等の構成資産とともに「富士山―信仰の対象と芸術の源泉」として世界文化遺産リストに登録された。

［吉村　稔］

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