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Lake Biwa is one of the oldest lakes in the world. It contains a large number of species that can't be found anywhere else, which is an unusual characteristic for a lake in a moderate climate. Visit Japan’s largest lake to see first-hand the beauty that has inspired poets and artists for centuries. Surrounded by forested mountains, Lake Biwa is teeming with life. You will find more than 1,000 species of plants and animals in this deep, unique lake. Many of these species, such as the isaza and honmoroko fishes, can’t be found anywhere else.
Biwa is fed by about 500 rivers that flow down from the Ibuki, Suzuka, and Hira mountains. But only one river, the Seta/Yodo, takes water out into Osaka Bay. Conditions vary throughout the 37 mile (60 km)-long lake, which is deep and wide in its northern section but shallow and narrow in the south. The natural diversity of Lake Biwa is impressive. The lake contains more than 50 species of fish and 50 species of mollusks, with an estimated 1,000 species of plants and animals living within the entire basin. Twelve fish live here and nowhere else, including the isaza and the honmoroko. Over half of the shellfish are also found only here. They swim with plenty of other fish, like ayu, Japanese eel, and ugui.
The lake is the largest in Japan and is relied upon to supply water for 14 million people. Threats include water resource development, flood control, urbanization, industrialization, large-scale land development, and pollution. In recent decades, too many nutrients have been added to the lake from industrial and residential sources. These nutrients cause so much vegetation to grow that fish and other species have difficulty breathing and surviving in the lake.
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