Lake Haruna

About

Lake Haruna (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 (Ikaho-numa). 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 in the series - is the location of the tōge where Takumi, the protagonist, wins his first races.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.