Several weeks ago, my wife and I visited Otsu on the shores of Lake Biwa.

It was a lovely visit.

Standing by the lakeside, I couldn’t help thinking of Lake Lugano in Switzerland.

The scenery gave me a similar feeling.

What I couldn’t see, however, was just how remarkable Lake Biwa really is.

I later learned that it is Japan’s largest freshwater lake.

Even more surprising, scientists estimate it to be around four million years old.

That makes it one of the world’s ancient lakes and home to more than sixty species of fish, mollusks, and plants found nowhere else on Earth.

None of that was obvious while I was standing on the beach.

To me, it was simply a beautiful lake.

Knowing its history afterwards made me appreciate it even more.

There is still so much around Lake Biwa that I haven’t explored.

One visit certainly wasn’t enough.

I have a feeling we’ll be back.