Lake Tazawa

田沢湖

Lakes & Ponds · Akita

Located in Semboku, Akita Prefecture, Lake Tazawa is Japan's deepest lake at 423.4 meters, a nearly circular caldera lake with a shoreline of about 20 kilometers. Its extreme depth keeps it from ever freezing, and its clear water shifts between lapis blue and indigo with the seasons. The lake is tied to the legend of Princess Tatsuko, who drank from a cursed spring seeking eternal beauty and was transformed into a dragon, now commemorated by a golden statue on its western shore, while the vermilion torii of Goza-no-ishi Shrine marks the lake's northern point.

TikTok video of June 21, 2026