Mount Fuji reflected upon Lake Ashi, c. 1920.

Reflected view of Mt. Fuji, c. 1920, upon the waters of Lake Ashi.

Reflected view of Mt. Fuji, c. 1920, upon the waters of Ashi-no-ko [“Lake of the reeds”] – known also as Lake Hakone.

“Mt. Fuji is specially imposing when it is reflected upside down on the glassy surface of Lake Ashi. But by standing on the top of Mt. Fuji of an evening or morning, one may sometimes see the shadow of Mt. Fuji inverted above the mountain. It is only seen in fine weather and when there is much moisture in the air. The shadow will be dim and small at first, but it gradually grows clearer and larger until it appears perfectly clear.”

– We Japanese, Vol. 2, Sakai Atsuharu, Fujiya Miyanoshita Hotel, 1937

Mt. Fuji from Lake Ashi, Hakone, c. 1930.

“The fine view of the reflection of Mt. Fuji on the Lake Ashi, Hakone,” c. 1930.

“I returned to the ropeway and carried on down the opposite side of the mountain. There the forestry returns and a huge lake, Lake Ashi, was formed out of a giant crater in the mountain. O yeah, and if you look over on your right hand side, you will have an awesome view of Mt. Fuji. I was overlooking a clear blue lake that lies next to the desert rocks that shoot steam in the air surrounded by forests on a beautiful mountain that sits in the shadow of the awesome giant, Mt. Fuji.

“Nature could not cram so much so perfectly into one place.”

– Memoirs of a Gaijin: Emails from Japan, by Benjamin Hesse, 2007

Mt. Fuji & Five Lakes Area. From Japan: The Official Guide, 1941.

Mt. Fuji & Five Lakes Area. Lake Ashi is a lower-right (labeled ‘Lake Ashi-no-ko’), in the shadow of Mt. Hakone. From Japan: The Official Guide, 1941.