Lake Kagurame

Overview

Lake Kagurame is a small lake, roughly one kilometre around, set on the southeastern slope of Mount Tsurumi in Beppu, Oita Prefecture. Part of Aso-Kuju National Park, this highland waterside is prized for its stillness. Beside it, the Kagurame Iris Garden holds some 80 varieties and about 15,000 clumps of Japanese iris, said to total around 300,000 blooms, which paint the shore purple and white each June. A short drive from the bustle of Beppu's hot-spring quarter, it reveals a quieter face of the city where flowers, mountain and lake meet.

Highlights

• ●An iris garden of about 80 varieties and some 300,000 blooms
• ●The name Kagurame rooted in a Heian-era legend of sacred dancers
• ●A quiet waterside on Mount Tsurumi within Aso-Kuju National Park
• ●A highland walk on the path linking it to neighbouring Lake Shidaka

History

The name Kagurame is said to come from a legend that during the Heian period women who performed sacred kagura dance for the Tsurumi-dake shrine lived by the lake. The memory of these dancing women survives to this day in the lake's very name. In the modern era an iris garden was laid out along the shore, and the lake became celebrated for its Japanese iris. An iris-viewing gathering is usually held in early to mid June, drawing many visitors.

Map

33.2561, 131.4639 · Wikidata

Suggested itinerary

1. 1Drive from Beppu's hot-spring quarter to Lake Kagurame on Mount Tsurumi's slope
2. 2Admire the masses of Japanese iris at the Kagurame Iris Garden
3. 3Walk a loop of the shore while recalling the dancing-women legend
4. 4Follow the path onward to Lake Shidaka to the northwest

Did you know?

💡 Lake Kagurame is joined by a walking path to Lake Shidaka to its northwest, so the two lakes can be explored on foot. Despite being called a lake, it is a gentle waterside only about a kilometre around, and the sheer variety of its iris garden, with some 80 kinds, is a highlight in itself.

Nearby spots