Lake Chuzenji - The second ministry of foreign affairs in summer

A view of lake chuzenji, from a former foreigner's vacation house
(C)JAPAN a while ago

They say there is not Tahiti. Exactly, there is lakeside of lake chuzenji in Tochigi Prefecture.

According to a myth, in 782, Saint Shodo developed this lake district as a Buddhist training site. After a thousand years, there was developed for another usage, as one of largest summer resort. In 1876,empelor Meiji went there and nicknamed “lake of happiness”. And in Isabella L. Bird described this lake and around mountains beauty. Soon, foreign embassies in Japan built vacation houses in this lake district.

The lakeside of lake chuzenji in Taisho era or early Showa
(Public Domain)

From the middle of Meiji era to early Showa era, there were over 40 vacation houses by foreign embassies such as Britain, Italy, France, and Belgium.

A tasty rainbow trout at the lakeside of lake Chuzenji
(C)JAPAN a while ago 

Earnest Mason Satow, as known as Japanese name Ainosuke Sato, was one of attaché who was crazy for this beautiful lake view. In 1896, he built a vacation house for the British embassy in Japan in Eastern lakeside. It was used until about 2008, and sold to Tochigi Pref. in 2010. Today, it is opened for visitor as a park building. At same time, we can taste delicious rainbow trout, Satow and the others attachés did so, probably.