Suwako (Suwa lake) is situated around 30 minutes away from the hotel. There are lots of quaint cafes and restaurants dotted around the gorgeous lake. Although the area is highly known for being a very tourist friendly spot, our choice of location for the best views of Suwa lake is Takeishi Park, which is situated a short drive up a small hill. The elevated position gives amazing views of the whole lake that is hard to beat. This spot is also famous as it is named “the view that represents Suwa”. It is also featured as one of the best night views in all of Japan, appearing as the view of old Shinshu. Within the park, there is seating available for approximately 300 people to be in the park to enjoy the panoramic views. Once you have finished viewing the glistening lake, why not jump on a boat and cross the lake? This is a great recreational activity as you leisurely cross the lake with views of the southern and northern Japanese alps with the fresh air of the highlands blows across the lake. If you venture up into the clouds, there are several spots within a 30 minutes’ drive from which you can see Mt. Fuji.

For detailed information about the Suwa Lake sightseeing cruise, please visit the official website of Suwa Lake Sightseeing Boat.

Whilst in this area, the shrines that surround lake Suwa are a must visit places. Suwa shrine is amongst one of the oldest shrines in Japan and so it holds a lot of reverence within the Shinto religion. There are 4 main shrines dedicated to the lake. These are the southern shrine Kamisha (上社), the northern shrine (下社) also known as the Main shrine (本宮) and the northern shrines are also known as spring shrine (春宮) and autumn shrine (秋宮). The god for which the main shrine was built for is known as the (Takeminakata no kami). The shrines on the lower, northern side of the lake is dedicated to Yasakatomeno kami and Yaekotoshiroshi kami. The gods are known to be protectors of life and revered as deities that protect the everyday life of the people who live around the lake.

The main shrine is also designated as a cultural building and so is designated as a natural monument of Nagano prefecture. A popular way of visiting these shrines is by visiting all 4 of them in succession as they are all not too far away from one another. There is not a particular order to visiting the shrines so the order in which you visit them is totally up to you. Each shrine has a distinct feel to them therefore there is never a dull moment.

For the official website of Suwa Taisha, click here.