Lake Kinrin

This unusual lake is fed by both hot and cold springs welling up under the lake bottom, resulting in warm waters year round. In winter, steam wafts off of the lake’s surface, creating a fairy tale-like sight. It is said that early Meiji period Confucian scholar Mori Kuso gave the lake its name, Kinrin-ko (“Gold Scale Lake”) after he saw the scales of a fish glittering like gold in the lake’s waters against the light of the setting sun.