The bloom of Japan's iconic pink cherry blossoms ... the cherry blossoms framing Mount Fuji across the lake. Along the eastern shores, a small peninsula juts into the lake, called Ubuyagasaki.

Japan's largest lake, is home to centuries-old crafts like Shigaraki ware and Wana velvet. We explore an island in the lake by tricycle before climbing into the mountains.

But the water levels of Japan’s largest freshwater lake continue to drop due to low rainfall. In Nagahama, a city in the northern part of Shiga Prefecture, a small island called Okunosu that ...