Lake Miyagase, Artificial reservoir in Aiko District, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.

Lake Miyagase stretches across a valley between Sagamihara and Atsugi, with the Tanzawa range serving as a backdrop. The water fills a winding depression surrounded by wooded hills and forms several narrow arms.

The Miyagase Dam on the Nakatsu River was completed in December 2000, but the lake itself had already formed in 1998 during test flooding before the dam was finished. The reservoir supplies drinking, agricultural and industrial water, reaching about two-thirds of Kanagawa Prefecture and 90% of its population, including Yokohama, Kawasaki and Yokosuka.

The name refers to former settlements now submerged beneath the water, recalling the villages relocated when the dam was built. Visitors find viewpoints and footpaths along the shore that invite walks and observation of the changing seasons.

Buses from Hon-Atsugi Station reach the lake in about an hour. The area suits day walks and quiet exploration along the shore.

The lake was formed in 1998 by test impoundment, two years before the Miyagase Dam itself was finished in December 2000. The dam's water goes to domestic, agricultural and industrial use, reaching about two-thirds of Kanagawa Prefecture and 90 percent of its population. An incline built for dam construction now runs for visitors, and a sightseeing boat links the dam site with the Torii-bara and Mizu-no-sato areas.