Lake Mashu

Lake Mashu is located in the Akan National Park and is 12 kilometers away from the Kawayu Onsen. It is a caldera lake that was formed about 7,000 years ago by an eruption. Due to a study done in 1931, this lake’s water is ranked as the clearest in the world, closely followed by Lake Baikal. The color of the water in the lake is referred to as Mashu blue. The different hues of the lake give a mysterious feeling to those that gaze at the pure water. There are multiple places to view this divine lake. The three main ones are Observation Deck 1, Observation Deck 3 and Uramshu Observatory. There was Observation Deck 2, which was in between 1 and 3, but was closed and is no longer open to the public. Lake Lake Mashu is located in the Akan National Park and is 12 kilometers away from the Kawayu Onsen. It is a caldera lake that was formed about 7,000 years ago by an eruption. Due to a study done in 1931, this lake’s water is ranked as the clearest in the world, closely followed by Lake Baikal. The color of the water in the lake is referred to as Mashu blue. The different hues of the lake give a mysterious feeling to those that gaze at the pure water. There are multiple places to view this divine lake. The three main ones are Observation Deck 1, Observation Deck 3 and Uramshu Observatory. There was Observation Deck 2, which was in between 1 and 3, but was closed and is no longer open to the public. Lake Mashu was originally called Lake of the Devil by the Ainu a long time ago and the Japanese later called it Lake Mashin. It later was changed to Lake Mashu in reference to the nearby Mount Mashu. Commonly today the peak is called Kamuinupuri (mountain of the gods) and the lake is referred to as Kamuito (lake of the gods) by the Ainu.