Mount Katamae Forest Park

A golden statue of a woman named Tatsuko jutting out of Lake Tazawa. According to legend, Tatsuko was a woman who lived in Innai (present-day Yuzawa). After praying for 100 days and 100 nights that she would stay beautiful forever, the goddess Kannon came to her and told her "Eternal beauty comes from drinking from the northern lake, but it cannot be granted to humans" and urged her to think hard before trying. Tatsuko didn't care. She went and found the lake and started drinking. As she drank, she became thirstier and the lake became larger. Soon the lake was very large and Tatsuko had transformed into a dragon, because as she was warned, eternal beauty was not for humans. As a dragon, she became the lake's guardian, but she swam to the bottom and stayed there out of disgust at her transformation. It is also said that she fell in love with Hachirotaro, a male lake dragon guardian who lived on the Oga peninsula. He is said to visit her during the winter. Because he is not there, Lake Hachirogata (his lake) freezes in the winter while the heat from the two dragon lovers prevents Lake Tazawa from ever freezing over.

Loop around lakeside the Lake Tazawa. Up and down the not very flat road. Approximately 20 km around, takes 2 - 3 hr.