# The 30 largest lakes in Japan

Japan's largest lake is Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture, at about 669 km² – almost four times the size of second-placed Kasumigaura. Twelve of the top 30 are in Hokkaido, many of them coastal brackish lakes such as Saroma, Notoro and Fūren. The ranking follows the list of Japanese lakes by area based on Geospatial Information Authority figures, with maximum depth.

- 26 votes · 30 items
- Nov 3, 2024 · Yuki Fujita
- https://even.best/en/l/5484/the-30-largest-lakes-in-japan

## Top 30

1. **Lake Biwa** (4 · ▲4 ▼0) — Shiga Prefecture. Area 669.26 km², max. depth 103.6 m. Japan's largest lake by both area and volume.
2. **Lake Inawashiro** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Fukushima Prefecture. Area 103.24 km², max. depth 94.6 m.
3. **Lake Shinji** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Shimane Prefecture. Area 79.25 km², max. depth 6.4 m.
4. **Lake Hamana** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Shizuoka Prefecture. Area 64.92 km², max. depth 16.6 m.
5. **Lake Towada** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Aomori and Akita Prefectures. Area 61.10 km², max. depth 327.0 m.
6. **Lake Saroma** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Hokkaido Prefecture. Area 151.59 km², max. depth 20.0 m. Japan's largest brackish lake.
7. **Nakaumi** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Shimane and Tottori Prefectures. Area 85.74 km², max. depth 8.4 m.
8. **Lake Kussharo** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Hokkaido Prefecture. Area 79.54 km², max. depth 117.0 m.
9. **Lake Shikotsu** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Hokkaido Prefecture. Area 78.48 km², max. depth 363.0 m. The second deepest in Japan, after Lake Tazawa.
10. **Lake Fūren** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Hokkaido Prefecture. Area 59.01 km², max. depth 11.0 m.
11. **Kitaura (part of Kasumigaura)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Ibaraki Prefecture. Area 35.03 km², max. depth 10.0 m.
12. **Hachirōgata regulating pond** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Akita Prefecture. Area 31.50 km², max. depth 12.0 m. Before it was drained, Hachirōgata covered about 220 km² and was Japan's second largest lake.
13. **Lake Chūzenji** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Tochigi Prefecture. Area 11.90 km², max. depth 163.0 m. The highest lake of more than 10 km² in Japan, at 1,269 m.
14. **Lake Tōfutsu** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Hokkaido Prefecture. Area 8.19 km², max. depth 2.5 m.
15. **Lake Ikeda** (0 · ▲1 ▼1) — Kagoshima Prefecture. Area 10.91 km², max. depth 233.0 m. The largest lake in Kyushu.
16. **Kasumigaura** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Ibaraki Prefecture. Area 168.10 km², max. depth 7.0 m.
17. **Lake Tōya** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Hokkaido Prefecture. Area 70.72 km², max. depth 180.0 m.
18. **Lake Ogawara** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Aomori Prefecture. Area 61.98 km², max. depth 24.0 m.
19. **Lake Notoro** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Hokkaido Prefecture. Area 58.20 km², max. depth 21.2 m.
20. **Lake Akkeshi** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Hokkaido Prefecture. Area 32.31 km², max. depth 11.0 m.
21. **Lake Abashiri** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Hokkaido Prefecture. Area 32.28 km², max. depth 16.8 m.
22. **Lake Tazawa** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Akita Prefecture. Area 25.75 km², max. depth 423.0 m. At 423 m, the deepest lake in Japan.
23. **Lake Mashū** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Hokkaido Prefecture. Area 19.22 km², max. depth 211.5 m. Famous for the clarity of its water.
24. **Lake Kutcharo** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Hokkaido Prefecture. Area 13.40 km², max. depth 2.5 m.
25. **Lake Akan** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Hokkaido Prefecture. Area 13.25 km², max. depth 45.0 m.
26. **Lake Suwa** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Nagano Prefecture. Area 12.81 km², max. depth 6.3 m.
27. **Inba-numa** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Chiba Prefecture. Area 9.43 km², max. depth 2.5 m.
28. **Lake Jūsan** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — Aomori Prefecture. Area 17.81 km², max. depth 3.0 m.
29. **Lake Hibara** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — Fukushima Prefecture. Area 10.86 km², max. depth 31.0 m.
30. **Hinuma** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — Ibaraki Prefecture. Area 9.30 km², max. depth 3.0 m.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.