Photos of Mishaka Pond
About Mishaka Pond
Mishaka Pond is a small irrigation reservoir in the Okutateshina hills above Chino. Farmers built it in 1933 to warm cold mountain water before it reached the rice fields below. The shore is ringed by larch planted in the years after the war. The water's high acidity level keeps fish out, and a moss that likes acid carpets the bottom in green, which is why the surface holds a reflection like glass. Try to be here at first light. Wind decides everything here, and the water usually stays smooth in the calm morning air. A tight crop across the pond beats the wide view, because it allows the reflection to double the larch trunks into amazing symmetry. Each season brings an entirely different feel to the pond with October turning the larch gold, May brings fresh green tones and in the winter it's covered in crisp white snow and ice. You will have to shoot from the fenced walkway that runs along the roadside. You can't go down to the water or walk the shoreline, since this is still a working agricultural pond. There is a small parking lot (roadside parking isn't allowed) and it usually fills quickly in autumn. (Chino, Nagano, Japan)
