is a caldera lake

Crater lake

A crater lake is a lake that forms in a volcanic crater or caldera, such as a maar; less commonly and with lower association to the term a lake may form in an impact crater caused by a meteorite. Sometimes lakes which form inside calderas are called caldera lakes, but often this distinction is not...

. It lies near the summit of Mount Haruna

Mount Haruna

is a dormant stratovolcano in Gunma, eastern Honshū, Japan.- Outline :Mount Haruna has many peaks and the tallest one, Mount Kamonga is 1,449 m high. It appeared about 300,000 years ago and the last known eruption was c. 550. The volcano has a summit caldera containing the symmetrical cone of...

, within the city limits of Takasaki

Takasaki, Gunma

is a city located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan.The city was founded on April 1, 1900.Takasaki is a regional transportation hub because its train station is the junction of several rail lines as well as a Shinkansen stop....

, Gunma Prefecture

Gunma Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the northwest corner of the Kantō region on Honshu island. Its capital is Maebashi.- History :The remains of a Paleolithic man were found at Iwajuku, Gunma Prefecture, in the early 20th century and there is a public museum there.Japan was without horses until...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. A former name for the lake is .

In the summer, the lake is a popular destination for campers

Camping

Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...

. The surface freezes in the winter, and it affords skating

Ice skating

Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...

 and ice fishing

Ice fishing

Ice fishing is the practice of catching fish with lines and fish hooks or spears through an opening in the ice on a frozen body of water. Ice anglers may sit on the stool in the open on a frozen lake, or in a heated cabin on the ice, some with bunks and amenities.-Locations:It is a popular pastime...

 for wakasagi

Hypomesus nipponensis

Also called wakasagi, Hypomesus nipponensis is an important food fish native to the lakes and estuaries of Hokkaido, Japan, although it has been introduced to other locations, including the San Francisco Delta of the United States....

.

The lake lies a 90 minute bus ride from Takasaki Station

Takasaki Station

is a train station located in Yashimachō, Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture Japan. This station is used by East Japan Railway , Japan Freight Railway and Jōshin Dentetsu.-Lines:*East Japan Railway Company **Jōetsu Shinkansen...

. It can be reached in 40 minutes by car from Shibukawa-Ikaho Interchange, #12 on the Kan-Etsu Expressway

Kan-Etsu Expressway

The is a national expressway in Japan. It is owned and managed by East Nippon Expressway Company.-Naming: is the kanji acronym of and the old comprising modern-day Niigata Prefecture....

.

A kayōkyoku

Kayokyoku

is a Japanese pop music genre, which became a base of modern J-pop. The Japan Times describes kayōkyoku as "standard Japanese pop" or "Showa era pop".Kayōkyoku is Western-style-inspired music of Japan. Music in this genre is extremely varied as a result...

refers to the lake in its title. Akira Fuse

Akira Fuse

is a Japanese singer who was once married to Olivia Hussey. He debuted in 1965 with the single . His greatest hits are and . He currently makes consistent appearances on television, performs occasional seasonal tours, hosts a late night talk show, and is involved in a number of stage plays...

 recorded the tune, named Haruna-ko no shōjo. The music is by Rei Nakanishi

Rei Nakanishi

Rei Nakanishi is a Japanese novelist and songwriter.-Career:Nakanishi was born Reizō Nakanishi in Mudanjiang, Manchukuo. He graduated from Kudan High School in Tokyo and received a degree in French literature from Rikkyo University...

 and the lyrics by Ken'ichirō Morioka.

Parts of the anime and manga Initial D

Initial D

is a manga by Shuichi Shigeno which has been serialized in Kodansha's Young Magazine since 1995. It has been adapted into a long-running anime series by OB Planning, Studio Comet, Studio Gallop, Pastel, and A.C.G.T, and a live action film by Avex and Media Asia...

 take place on or around the lake.

Source

This article incorporates material from the article 榛名湖 (Harunako) in the Japanese Wikipedia, retrieved on March 21, 2008.

External links

• 観光社会資本の事例 (Kankō Shakai Shihon no Jirei), Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
  Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Japan)
  The , abbreviated MLIT, is a ministry of the Japanese government. It is responsible for one-third of all the laws and orders in Japan and the largest Japanese ministry in terms of employees, as well as the second-largest organ of the Japanese government after the Ministry of Defense...