Paddling in Japan: Lake Yamanaka-ko (山中湖)

BASIC INFORMATION

• Name: Lake Yamanaka-ko (山中湖)
• Where: Yamanaka, Japan
• Distance: 3.2 miles
• Time: 1-2 hours
• Difficulty: Easy
• More Information: Activity Japan

Google Earth Map of the Course

Directions

Getting to Lake Yamanaka-ko via car is pretty easy by taking the E1 Expressway west from Tokyo to Gotemba.  From there take Highway 138 a short distance north to Lake Yamanaka.  The free parking lot to put in your kayak can be found on the south shore of the lake.  Information for accessing Lake Yamanaka via train or bus can be found at this link.

Parking

There is free and pay parking lots located all around the lake.  I found that the best place to put in a kayak is from the free parking lot on the south end of the lake. The lot is quite large and I had no issues finding parking on a weekend morning.

Narrative

The largest of the Fuji Five Lakes that I decided to take my Aquaglide Deschutes 110 Kayak on is Lake Yamanaka-ko.  I got a really early start on the day in order to maximize my chances of having a view of the iconic Mt. Fuji from the lake.  I arrived in the area of Lake Yamanaka at about 05:30 in the morning and from the highway I had this nice view of Mt. Fuji:

I felt like a made a good choice waking up so early to drive to the lake from the Tokyo area because the views of Mt. Fuji only got better as I proceeded to drive around the lake to find a place to park:

I found a place to park on the east end of Lake Yamanaka, but it had signs up saying that paddlers cannot put in from this part of the lake.  I did however take advantage of the location to take some nice pictures of Mt. Fuji and the surrounding hill sides:

As I continued to drive around the lake I found a free parking lot on its south side.  From the parking lot it was a short walk to the beach.  The beach was more like small eroded lava rocks, but it was no where near as rocky as the beach at Lake Motosu that I had previously paddled on.  In less than 15 minutes I was able to have my kayak set up on the beach and ready to go:

Below is a closer look at how I have my Aquaglide Deschutes 110 Kayak set up.  I keep the carrying bag with the air pump stowed in the storage compartment in the back of the kayak.  I then have a yellow waterproof bag I keep all my valuables in that is secured to the kayak with a cord behind the chair.  The only thing I keep in the front of the kayak when I am paddling is my water bottle:

As I paddled out on to the lake from the shore, the water was very calm and provided some nice reflections of Mt. Fuji:

Once I reached the middle of the lake the water was calm enough that I was able to take this almost post card like picture of Mt. Fuji:

From the middle of the lake I continued to paddle across it:

In less than an hour I reached the far shore and then proceeded to get out of my kayak and stretch my back while taking views of Mt. Fuji:

After taking about a 15 minute break I then proceeded to get back into my kayak and paddle in the direction of Mt. Fuji to take some more pictures:

As it got later in the morning at about 07:30 AM the clouds really began to grow and obscure Mt. Fuji.  For anyone thinking of paddling on Lake Yamanaka, I highly recommend getting out on the lake by 6AM to increase your chances of having views of Mt. Fuji:

After Mt. Fuji got clouded in, I then proceeded to paddle back to the beach I started my trip from:

Paddling back was actually tricky because by then the powerboats had come out on the lake and there were waterskiers everywhere.  I had to patiently paddle and avoid the waterskiers.  The boats were additionally kicking up large waves in their wake that I had to paddle over.  After some careful paddling I found myself nearing the shore where I started from:

For paddlers looking for peace and quiet this is definitely not the lake for you due to all the powerboats.  I was very glad I started my trip early enough to where I spent the most of my time on Lake Yamanaka with no powerboats.  Once I got back on the beach, I then broke down my kayak and packed it into its carrying bag.  The whole time I was doing this a Japanese man was watching me and commented how impressed he was by how easy the kayak packed away.  After speaking with the man for a short time about the kayak I then walked back to the parking lot stow the kayak in my van.  I next drove a short distance up a nearby hill that has a popular viewpoint of beautiful Lake Yamanaka to officially end my trip:

Conclusion

Lake Yamanaka is a well developed lake that offers fantastic views of Mt. Fuji.  However, the well developed nature of Lake Yamanaka means a lot of powerboats on the lake.  This lake is best enjoyed by those looking to paddle early in the morning before the powerboats come out.  For those looking for a peaceful paddling experience later in the day, other lakes in the area are better options.