Mikatagoko

Mikatagoko or five lakes of Mikata is a region located in the center of Japan and faces the Asian Continent across the Sea of Japan. It consists of five different lakes, namely, Mikatako, Suigetsuko, Sugako, Hirugako, and Kugushiko, and is one of the most outstanding scenic sites in Wakasa Bay Quasi-National Park. Characteristics vary from lake to lake owning to the difference in depth and quality of water e.g. fresh, salt or brackish. Species of fish thus also differ in each lake, varying from freshwater to seawater types. In addition, since more than 10,000 waterbirds including Steller's sea eagles and White-tailed sea eagles winter in this region, the lakes were registered in the Ramsar Convention as wetlands of international importance in 2005. In order to avoid contamination and eutrophication of the lakes, which were once of serious problems in the past, local people have been employing environmentally-friendly practices and engaging themselves to environmental activities.