Lake Suwa – Nagano Prefecture, Japan

Lake Suwa (諏訪湖 Suwa-ko?) is a lake in the Kiso Mountains, in the central region of Nagano Prefecture, Japan.  The lake is the source of the Tenryū River. It ranks 24th in lake water surface area in Japan. The cities of Suwa and Okaya, and town of Shimosuwa, are located on the shores of Lake Suwa. Lake Suwa is the site of an interesting natural phenomenon, The God's Crossing (御神渡り o-miwatari?). The lake has a natural hot spring under its surface. When the lake's surface freezes in the winter, its lower waters are still circulating. This results in ice pressure ridges…