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Our guide
The Mikata Five Lakes lie in Mihama and Wakasa, Fukui, close to the coast of Wakasa Bay: Lakes Mikata, Suigetsu, Suga, Kugushi and Hiruga, some brackish and some fresh. All five are within Wakasa Wan Quasi-National Park, and in 2005 they were designated a Ramsar site. Lake Suigetsu is known for its varves — annual layers of sediment — which in 2012 were adopted as a global standard for dating geological and historical relics.
We have not checked a public-transport route, so plan the journey on the map and look for local information before you go.
Written by japan-spots.com (2026-09-22) from the sources credited on this page. Distances are straight lines between map positions.
Photos
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence — see credits
- Mikata five lakes 20110505 - panoramio — Shift · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- Urami canal — 藤谷良秀 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- The Urami River Wakasa — Unknown author · Public domain · source · resized
- Saga tunnel (water-and-moon lake side) — 藤谷良秀 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- Mikata Five Lakes Rainbow Line ac — Asturio Cantabrio · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- MikataGoko tour road — 藤谷良秀 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- Mihama-cho Lake center — 藤谷良秀(Yoshihide Fujitani) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- Mihama-cho Lake center-Landed jet ship — 藤谷良秀(Yoshihide Fujitani) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- Kiyama, Wakasa, Mikatakaminaka District, Fukui Prefecture 919-1301, Japan - panoramio (1) — YOSHIFUMI OGISO · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- Hiruga Fishing Port ac (5) — Asturio Cantabrio · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
What this place is
Mikata Five Lakes (三方五湖), also called the Five Lakes of Mikata, are a series of brackish and freshwater lakes located in Mihama and Wakasa, Fukui, Japan, which are close to the coast of Wakasa Bay. They consist of Lakes Mikata (三方湖), Suigetsu (水月湖), Suga (菅湖), Kugushi (久々子湖) and Hiruga (日向湖). These five lakes are all located in Wakasa Wan Quasi-National Park. In 2005 the lakes were designated as a Ramsar site. The Lake Suigetsu is famous for its varves, which were adopted as a global standard for dating geological and historical relics in 2012.
Background text adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
What to expect at this type of place: Lakes & falls
Getting there
We do not have step-by-step transit directions for this spot yet. Open the location on Google Maps for routes from where you are staying.
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