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春
Currently in season
SpringMar–May
Now in the Five Lakes · plum blossom, early March
About 80,000 plum trees flower around the lakes from late February, best in early March. The ume festival at the Umenosato-kaikan sells the year's umeboshi and plum wine.
春 夏 秋 冬
Ramsar wetland · National Place of Scenic Beauty
Wakasa · Mihama & Wakasa town

Mikata Five Lakes三方五湖

Five lakes in a row behind the coast, linked by channels, each a different blue because each holds a different mix of fresh and salt water. See them all from the terraces and foot baths of the Rainbow Line summit.

Summit park ¥1,000 Nature Cruise 50 min 26–31 min from Tsuruga
35.58°N, 135.89°E 6 min read
In brief

The lakes sit between Mihama and Wakasa town, 26–31 minutes from Tsuruga on the JR Obama Line. They are a national Place of Scenic Beauty and, since 2005, a Ramsar wetland. The best viewpoint is on a ridge with no bus, so this is the part of Wakasa where a car, or a taxi from Mihama or Kiyama, pays off.

What to do

Summit, cruise and orchards

01

Rainbow Line Summit Parkレインボーライン山頂公園

Mt Baijō · taxi from JR Mihama or Kiyama

The Rainbow Line is an 11 km ridge road between the lakes and Wakasa Bay, toll-free since 2022 (08:00–18:00, cars only). At the top, a 2-minute chairlift or cable car lifts you to the summit park, rebuilt in 2020 with five terraces, foot baths and outdoor sofas facing the lakes and the sea.

The East Observatory takes in all five lakes and the bay. Come in the morning for clear light, or late afternoon for sunset over Wakasa Bay.

Admission
¥1,000 incl. lift
Parking
¥800
Hours
09:00–17:00
02

Mikata Goko Nature Cruise三方五湖ネイチャークルーズ

Hayase, Mihama · 10 min by car from the summit

Quiet solar-and-battery boats with a local guide, through the lakes and the narrow, green Uramigawa canal, cut by hand in the Edo period.

About 50 minutes: 09:30, 10:45, 13:00, 14:15 and 15:30. Book online or on 0770-47-5960.

Adults
¥1,980
Duration
50 min
Closed
Wednesdays
03

Plum orchards福井梅

Nishida orchards, Lake Mikata · Umenosato-kaikan

The slopes round the lakes are the largest plum-growing area on the Sea of Japan side: about 80,000 trees, 70% of Fukui's crop, mostly the thick-fleshed Beniei variety grown for umeboshi.

Blossom peaks in early March; harvest starts in June. Buy umeboshi and plum wine at JA Umenosato-kaikan.

Blossom
Early March
Trees
80,000
Harvest
From June
04

Varve and Jōmon museums年縞博物館・縄文博物館

Lake Mikata shore · 5 min by taxi from JR Mikata

Lake Suigetsu's bed is the world's radiocarbon clock, and the museum on its shore displays all 45 m of it like stained glass. Next door, 6,000-year-old canoes and lacquer from the Torihama shell mound. Museums guide →

Combined
¥700
Closed
Tuesdays
Allow
1h 45m
The five lakes

Five lakes, five waters

LakeWaterNotes
Lake Mikata 三方湖FreshShallow, reed beds, plum orchards on the shore
Lake Suigetsu 水月湖BrackishDeepest; its bed holds the 70,000-year varve record
Lake Suga 菅湖BrackishSmallest and quietest
Lake Kugushi 久々子湖BrackishNear Mihama and the coast
Lake Hiruga 日向湖SaltHinata, the heshiko fishing village
Hours and prices

Plan the day

PlaceHoursPriceClosed
Rainbow Line road08:00–18:00FreeCars only; no bikes or walkers
Summit Park (Mar–Nov)09:00–17:00, last lift up 16:30¥1,000 · parking ¥80031 Dec–2 Jan, 1–5 Feb
Summit Park (Dec–Feb)09:00–16:30, last lift up 16:00¥1,000
Nature Cruise09:30–15:30 departures¥1,980Wednesdays, 29 Dec–3 Jan
Varve Museum09:00–17:00¥500 · combined ¥700Tuesdays
Jōmon Museum09:00–17:00¥500 · combined ¥700Tuesdays

Suggested half day by car: museums (1h 30m), Rainbow Line summit with lunch on a terrace (1h), Nature Cruise (50 min), then heshiko in Hinata (book ahead; lunch to 14:00).

Practical tips

Before you go

Things first-time visitors usually wish they'd known.

  1. 01
    Hire a car or take a taxi. There is no scheduled bus up the Rainbow Line. Taxis wait at JR Mihama; from Tsuruga Station it is 40 minutes by hire car.
  2. 02
    Avoid Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The museums close on Tuesday and the Nature Cruise on Wednesday.
  3. 03
    Stay on the lake. Suigekka, on Lake Suigetsu, runs a 40-minute 08:00 cruise with a bento breakfast for guests (¥1,000).
  4. 04
    Blossom and fog. Early March is plum season, but mornings can be misty; the summit clears by late morning.
  5. 05
    Bikes on the shore, not the ridge. The lakeshore roads make a good e-bike loop from Mikata Station; the Rainbow Line is closed to bicycles.
FAQ

Five Lakes questions, answered

How much does the Rainbow Line cost?

The road itself has been toll-free since October 2022 (open 08:00–18:00, cars only). The summit park, including the 2-minute chairlift or cable car, is ¥1,000 for adults, and parking ¥800.

Can you reach the Rainbow Line by public transport?

Not by scheduled bus. Take the JR Obama Line to Mihama or Kiyama (21–26 minutes from Tsuruga) and a taxi up. By car it is about 20 minutes from Wakasa-Mikata IC or 40 from Tsuruga IC.

When is plum blossom at the Mikata Five Lakes?

White blossom starts in late February and is best in early March. The Nishida orchards on Lake Mikata are the classic view; about 80,000 trees grow around the lakes.

Why are the five lakes different colours?

Each has a different mix of fresh and salt water and a different depth: Lake Mikata is fresh, Suigetsu, Suga and Kugushi are brackish, and Hiruga is salt water open to the sea.

Where to stay

Stay by the lakes

Lakeside onsen and bay-view baths, both close to the Rainbow Line.

Onsen

Hotel Wansai

ホテル湾彩 · Mihama coast

Onsen hotel with big-window baths over Wakasa Bay, five minutes by car from JR Mihama. The closest good hotel to the Rainbow Line.

mid-rangeOur notes →
Check rates ↗
Station

Hotel Granbinario Tsuruga

ホテルグランビナリオTSURUGA · Tsuruga Station west exit

Opened 2022 beside the Shinkansen terminus. The best rail base for day trips along the Obama Line, or a late arrival from Tokyo.

from ¥13,400 per roomOur notes →
Check rates ↗
Standout

Wakasa Kajitsu

若狭佳日 · Ano inlet, Obama · 13 rooms

Small luxury inn on a calm bay: infinity bath over Wakasa Bay, guji in summer and farmed tiger fugu in winter. Free shuttle from Obama Station at 14:30.

from ¥36,300 pp with dinnerOur notes →
Check rates ↗
See all Wakasa hotels →
Continue exploring

More in Wakasa

← Back to hub
Wakasa guide
→
Practical
Getting to Wakasa
→
Town
Obama: chopsticks & Sotomo
→
Food
Heshiko & the mackerel road
→
Museums
Varve & Jōmon museums
→
Post town
Kumagawa-juku & Uriwari
→
Shrines
Onyu & Omizu-okuri
→