Oshino Hakkai Springs Sacred Site No. 5: Waku Pond

This pond is one of the ponds which make of Oshino Hakkai Springs, which has been designated a Natural Monument, selected for inclusion in the Japanese Top 100 Famous Water list, and which is also included in the Fujisan World Heritage listing. The source of the pond is underground spring water from Mt. Fuji. The fifth of Oshino Hakkai Springs' sacred ponds, the pond is the most easily accessible and is situated along a road across from several souvenir shops. With an abundant flow of water and a water mill, due to its beauty, it could be considered one of the most well-known of the ponds. According to legend, the goddess Konohanasakuya-bime heard the prayers of people wishing for water due to an eruption from Mt. Fuji, and so caused this pond to be created by a spring which miraculously emerged from the lava.