About Lake Shirakaba
Lake Shirakaba is located at the foot of Tateshina Mountain in the northern part of Nagano City. It is an artificial lake with an elevation of 1,416 meters above sea level and a depth of up to 9 meters, and is under the management of Yatsugatake Noboribetsu Kogen National Park. The lake has a circumference of 6 km and an area of about 35 hectares, and is surrounded by beautiful birch trees, hence its name.
Shirakaba Lake is one of the most beautiful artificial lakes in Nagano Prefecture, but it was originally built as a reservoir to secure water for agriculture and was called “Tateshina Oike” when it was built. From 1950, the lake was used as the center of tourism development in the ward, and many hotels and recreational facilities were built around it, and the name was changed to Shirakaba Lake shortly afterwards.
On the eastern shore of the lake, there is a public park with amusement parks, heated swimming pools, hot springs with swimsuits, art museums, forest railroads, and other recreational facilities. In the season of greenery, you can play tennis and golf, ride horses and bicycles and other outdoor sports, and in winter, you can do ice skating and skiing.
The southeast side of Baikwara Lake is connected to the famous mountain tourist destination, Yatsugatake, and many hiking trails have been built on the gentle slopes covered by forests, and the transportation is particularly convenient, so hikers come in large numbers.
How to get there
It takes about 50 minutes by bus from Chino Station on the JR Chuo Main Line to Lake Shirakaba by Alpico Kotsu Bus (fare: 1000 yen).
Bus timetable for Shirakaba-ko Lake by Alpico Kotsu bus from Chino Station or Suwa Station
Bus timetable for Alpico Kotsu bus bound for Shirakaba-ko lake from Kami-suwa Sta.
It takes about 50 minutes from JR Chuo Main Line Chino Station to Lake Shirakaba by Alpico Kotsu Bus.
It takes about 31 minutes by car from JR Chino Station to Shirakaba-ko Lake.
Tips
Located at the foot of Mount Tateshina, Shirakaba Lake is a small lake with a circumference of 3.8 km. Lake Shirakaba is not very deep and is a calm lake. Swan boats are suitable for Lake Shirakaba. The lake water of Lake Shirakaba was at one time in a critical condition due to the drainage of the surrounding resort hotels and villa areas. Today, the water quality is good thanks to the efforts of Chino City, residents and businesses around Shirakaba Lake.
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