Exploring Kinrin Lake Waiting for the Morning Mist

I headed out early on a winter morning, hoping to see Kinrin Lake. From the path by the shore, I could see the water through the branches, with a thin veil of mist drifting above it. There it was: the morning mist I’d seen in photos. My fingertips were still cold, but the urge to see more won out, and I found myself gazing toward the far shore.

I had on my cream-colored down coat and cupped my hands near my mouth, warming them with my breath. I was wearing a lavender knit dress, and I wanted to tuck my hands into its sleeves for a while. But whenever I lowered my head, the mist shifted, and I wanted to look at the water again. I’d warm my hands, look up, then gaze out from that same spot all over again.

Buildings beyond the mist were reflected in the lake, too. The water held the shapes of roofs and trees, so there was more to take in than the view above the surface. I couldn’t decide whether to look above the water or at its reflection, so in the end I took in the whole lake. As the low mist drifted across the reflections, the shapes that had been clear a moment earlier began to fade. Even waiting for that change became part of the morning I’d come to see.

The lake’s name is said to come from fish scales shining in the evening sun. There’s also a story that the Confucian scholar Mōri Kūsō named it Kinrin Lake in 1884. I’m looking at it in the morning, but now that I know the story, I can’t help picturing the water at dusk, too. I came to see the mist, and now I’ve already picked the time for my next visit.

I walked a little farther along the path and looked out over the water from another spot. It was fun watching the buildings seem nearer or farther away as I walked around the lake. My hands were starting to feel cold again, but I still wanted to watch the trees across the water. Thinking about the sweet treat I’d have on the way back, I decided to walk a little longer.

Afterward, I treated myself to pudding in Yufuin. Yufufu, by Yufuin Station, offers pudding, Swiss rolls and other sweets. As I savored each bite, the morning view came back to me. A trip out to see the mist turned into a day of walking by the lake and enjoying something sweet, too. Next time, I want to see the lake with the sunset reflected on it, too.