Qualla: Lake Motosu

Lake Motosu: Introduction

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Alpsdake, CC BY-SA 4.0. Reach into your pocket in Japan, pull out a 1,000-yen note, and flip it over. The image on the reverse -- Mount Fuji reflected in still water -- was photographed from the shores of Lake Motosu. This is the westernmost of the Fuji Five Lakes, and its most enigmatic. At 121.6 meters deep, Motosu plunges to depths that most visitors never suspect, making it the ninth-deepest lake in Japan and by far the deepest in the Fuji Five Lakes chain. Its waters are so clear that the mountain's reflection reads like a mirror image, which is precisely why it ended up on the nation's currency.

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Image: Alpsdake | CC BY-SA 4.0

Lake Motosu: Three Lakes That Were Once One

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Alpsdake, CC BY-SA 4.0. Lake Motosu sits at a surface elevation of 900 meters, identical to neighboring Lake Shoji and Lake Sai. This is not coincidence. Geologists confirmed that these three lakes were originally a single large body of water, split apart by an enormous lava flow from Mount Fuji. The re...

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Image: Alpsdake | CC BY-SA 4.0

Lake Motosu: The Face on the Money

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Alpsdake, CC BY-SA 4.0. Lake Motosu's claim to national fame is literal: it appears on Japanese currency. The view of Mount Fuji from the lake's northern shore was featured on the reverse of the Series D 5,000-yen note and later on the Series E 1,000-yen note. The specific photograph captures Fuji's sym...

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Image: Alpsdake | CC BY-SA 4.0

Lake Motosu: Trout, Tourism, and Trouble

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Abasaa, Public domain. Like its siblings in the Fuji Five Lakes, Motosu has evolved into a popular resort area. Lakeside hotels, windsurfing facilities, campgrounds, and excursion boats line portions of the shore. Rainbow trout and brown trout were introduced during the Meiji period in the late 19th ce...

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Image: Abasaa | Public domain

Lake Motosu: Anime Pilgrimage and Literary Landscape

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Alexrk2, CC BY-SA 3.0. Lake Motosu has found a second life in popular culture. The anime series Laid-Back Camp prominently features the lake, and after the first season aired, visitor numbers to the area rose sharply. Fans arrive with screenshots on their phones, seeking out the exact camping spots and...

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Image: Alexrk2 | CC BY-SA 3.0