The Lake Chuzenji Boat House comprises buildings restored precisely from the time they were built as the waterfront resort around 1950 by the Chuzenji lakeside known for its prosperous history as an international summer resort.
It is a recess facility to enjoy the rich nature and water of the lakeside as well as enjoying the relaxing moment in the beautiful landscape of Lake Chuzenji.
From the Meiji period to early Showa period, the lakeside of Chuzenji filled with villas built by the embassies of the respective countries in Europe and the USA, and it had a prosperous history as an international summer resort that people even described as “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of foreign countries all relocate to Nikko in summer”.
The boathouse was built in 1947 as an attached facility of “Nikko Kanko Hotel (current Chuzenji Kanaya Hotel)” which opened as a part of the international tourism policy based on the waterfront resort building in the USA as a model.
The Lake Chuzenji Boat House was restored as a building to introduce the history as a closure of a lineage of the modern history of the international summer resort where people enjoyed the nature and the interaction by the lake.
The boat exhibited in the boathouse on the first floor used to be owned by the Belgium Embassy villa by the Chuzenji lakeside which was later donated to Tochigi prefecture and restored in January 2009.
The ship which was built in early Showa period comprises the bi-cultural characteristics of a rowboat with oars, and sculls and paddles of Japanese ship.
The ship body is made with ebony from Okunikko, chestnut is used for the keep and the deck is made with Japanese oak. It is 438cm long, 126cm wide and 46cm deep with a maximum capacity of 4 passengers to row.
From the mid Meiji period to the early Showa period, many foreigners such as diplomats visited Lake Chuzenji with their family to spend the summer for enjoying fishing and boat rides.
Let alone the communication between foreigners, their active communication was held with the local people, too.
Eating and drinking is allowed on the exhibition hall and deck on the 2nd floor.
Smoking is prohibited inside the building and the deck.
Free
・Take limited express Spacia/Liberty from Tobu Railway “Asakusa St.” and get off at “Tobu Nikko St.”
・Take JR Line/Tobu limited express directly from JR “Shinjuku St.” and get off at “Tobu Nikko St.”
・Take JR Nikko Line from Tohoku Shinkansen “Utsunomiya St.” and get off at “Nikko Station”
Take Tobu Bus from JR Nikko Station bound for “Chuzenji Onsen/ Yumoto Onsen” via Tobu Nikko Station, get off at “Chuzenji Kanaya Hotel. The destination is right in front of the bus stop.
Takes approximately 60-min-drive from Tohoku Expressway to Nikko Utsunomiya Road from Utsunomiya IC, then take Irohazaka from Kiyotaki IC
15 minutes walk from "Shobugahama" of Lake Chuzenji Pleasure Boat