Lake Haruna

Lake Haruna (榛名湖, Haruna-ko) is a caldera lake. It lies near the summit of Mount Haruna, within the city limits of Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, Japan. A former name for the lake is Lake Ikaho (伊香保沼, Ikaho-numa).

Lake Haruna
The Fuji of Haruna Adolfo Farsari
Lake Haruna
Location	Takasaki, Gunma
Coordinates	36°28′30″N 138°52′0″E
Type	caldera
Basin countries	Japan
Surface area	1.15 km2 (0.44 sq mi)
Max. depth	12.6 m (41 ft)
Shore length1	6 km (3.7 mi)
Surface elevation	1,084 m (3,556 ft)
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

In the summer, the lake is a popular destination for campers. The surface freezes in the winter, and it affords skating and ice fishing for wakasagi.

The lake lies a 90-minute bus ride from Takasaki Station. It can be reached in 40 minutes by car from Shibukawa-Ikaho Interchange, #12 on the Kan-Etsu Expressway. The road to the lake is one of 10 musical roads located in Gunma prefecture alone; the song played is "Sweetly Sings the Donkey," chosen because the melody is known as "At a Quiet Lakeside" in Japan.

A kayōkyoku refers to the lake in its title. Akira Fuse recorded the tune, named Haruna-ko no shōjo. The music is by Rei Nakanishi and the lyrics by Ken'ichirō Morioka.

Parts of the anime and manga Initial D take place on or around the lake, under the fictional name Lake Akina, as Mount Haruna - named Akina (秋名) in the series - is the location of the tōge where Takumi, the protagonist, wins his first races.

Sources

This article incorporates material from the article 榛名湖 (Harunako) in the Japanese Wikipedia, retrieved on March 21, 2008.

External links

• Media related to Lake Haruna at Wikimedia Commons
• 観光社会資本の事例 (Kankō Shakai Shihon no Jirei), Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport