Lake Chūzenji lies high above Nikkō, dammed by an old lava flow from Mount Nantai, and it carries a curious history: brown trout brought in by foreign residents more than a century ago, which took hold and grow large in the cold mountain water. A place of shrines, waterfalls and autumn maples, and a rare Japanese lake where the brown trout is the prize.
Under the surface
A high volcanic lake above Nikkō, formed when Nantai's lava dammed the valley — cold, deep and steeped in temple history. Brown trout introduced by early foreign residents thrive alongside char and kokanee, against a backdrop of shrines, falls and turning maples.
Wading: High cold lake, steep forested banks — boat/shore
- Lake
- Volcanic
- Stillwater
- Drop off