Lake Tanuki, Artificial reservoir in Fujinomiya, Japan

Lake Tanuki is an artificial reservoir at 660 meters elevation in Shizuoka Prefecture, offering direct views of Mount Fuji across its waters that stretch about one kilometer. The shore is lined with paths, camping areas, and small boat docks that spread around the entire basin.

Engineers built the reservoir in 1935 by redirecting the Shiba River, turning a marshy area into a water source for regional agricultural irrigation. The project took several years and required cooperation from village communities that relied on the water for rice cultivation.

The name Tanuki preserves the old name of the marsh, Tanuki-numa, recorded before the reservoir was created. On the lakeshore stands Tanuki Shrine, which honours Prince Yinryō as a human deity; local tradition holds that the prince stayed at the residence of Tanuki Jirō in nearby Uchino. The shrine links the lake to the Nanboku-chō period legends of the Southern Court.

Visitors reach the site by bus from Fujinomiya station, with the journey taking about 45 minutes. Facilities on site include camping areas, boat rental services, and fishing permits available to book directly at the shore.

On clear early mornings around April 20 and August 20, the rising sun appears to sit on the summit of Mount Fuji when seen from the front of the Kyukamura Fuji lodging house on the lakeshore; this alignment is called Diamond Fuji, and photographers gather for it. The lake lies almost directly opposite Mount Fuji's Osawa Kuzure, the large erosion gully on the mountain's western flank.