NEWS
"About Lake Shirakaba."
About Lake Shirakaba
Lake Shirakaba is a mecca for winter sports in winter and flowers bloom all over the lake from spring to summer.
The clear blue sky and increasingly delicious air captivate travelers.。
Why not take a group trip and visit Lake Shirakaba in Tateshina Kogen, a refreshing highland in Shinshu with your family?
Lake Shirakaba is located at an altitude of about 1500 m and has a circumference of about 4 km. It is a resort area surrounding the lake that is cool in summer and turns into a silvery white world in winter.
At Shirakaba Lake, visitors can enjoy various activities such as museums, amusement parks, boardwalks, boating on the lake, and horseback riding.
The Kita-Yatsugatake ropeway, Kurumayama Plateau, Kirigamine Plateau, Lake Megami, and Tateshina Onsen (Tateshina Plateau) are scattered in the vicinity.
Why not use it as a base for sightseeing in Shinshu again?
History of Shirakaba Lake
Shirakaba Lake is located at the foot of Yatsugatake (Mt. Tateshina, Kita-Yatsugatake), a national park. Construction of the lake began in the mid-1950s and was completed about 1500 m above sea level in 1945.
Initially, the water flowing into the rice paddies in the area below (Kashiwabara and Yukawa areas of Chino City, etc.) was very cold, which caused poor rice growth and was a source of concern for farmers in that area.
Tateshina and Kurumayama, a dike was built to store water, warm the water, and then send it downstream to increase the rice harvest.
In those days, during the Pacific War, many women also participated in this heavy labor, and since there was no heavy machinery as in the present age, all the work was done by hand, which was very hard.
The lake was named “Tateshina Great Pond” and was used as a water source for rice cultivation.
The Tateshina Great Pond, with its scattered white birch bushes, is said to be a scenic beauty that was so popular that it came to be called “Lake Shirakaba,” which is the origin of its current name, “Lake Shirakaba.
Later, facilities for raising livestock were built there, and gradually, tourists began to visit because of the beautiful scenery, inns were built, and Lake Shirakaba became the tourist attraction that it is today.
Around 1955, wooden ryokan and bungalows were built, and also as Japan’s economy developed, many people, especially young people, visited the area.
Then, between 1965 and 1975, a modern hotel-style building was constructed, and the new Shirakaba Lake flourished.
At that time, highways did not extend to the Suwa area as they do now, so many tourists from the Tokyo and Nagoya areas visited and stayed overnight at Lake Shirakaba, as it was an overnight destination.
In addition, since there are ski resorts scattered around the area, many skiers visit the area in winter, and from spring to summer, azaleas, day lilies, and various other alpine flowers bloom, and in fall, the area is very beautiful with colorful autumn foliage.
Later, however, in the 1950s, an expressway passed through the Suwa area, and this Lake Shirakaba became a day trip course from Tokyo and Nagoya, resulting in fewer tourists staying overnight.
It is a great pity that people stay at this Shirakaba Lake and cannot enjoy the wonderful scenery of Shirakaba Lake, but only see the front view and pass by.
Lake Shirakaba has a circumference of approximately 4 km, and some of the guests go for a morning jog around the lake.
Bicycle rentals are available at the lakeside facilities, making it easy to enjoy a round-the-lake tour of Shirakaba Lake.
There is also a natural hot spring, Suzuri-no-yu, so soaking in the hot spring water while looking at the lake is one way to enjoy the atmosphere of Lake Shirakaba.
Recently, the number of tourists has been decreasing due to the economic recession, which is a great pity. However, Lake Shirakaba at the foot of Mount Tateshina in Kita-Yatsugatake is a place where you can enjoy the beautiful scenery, delicious air, and other natural and elegant sights. Why don’t you add this place to your travel itinerary?
Thank you for reading to the end.
As for the origin of Shirakaba Lake, I have written down what I have heard so far, so I think it is roughly correct, but there may be some mistakes.
If you are familiar with the past of Shirakaba Lake and notice any errors in this information, please let us know the correct information.
Addendum 2017-10-01 (2017)
The other day, I was able to hear an interesting story from an old man who was born before the war and lives in Chino City.
It was during World War II when Tateshina Great Pond (Lake Shirakaba) was being built, so it seems that children were also engaged in this work as mobilized school children.
It seems that the purpose was not only for work, but also to develop the physical and mental strength of the young men who were about to go to war.
By Yumetabiaki, January 1, 2011