Bandai Asahi National Park 磐梯朝日国立公園

Bandai Asahi National Park is located in the Tohoku region. Founded in September 1950, it covers an area of 1,870 km 2 and therefore extends over three distinct prefectures, the prefecture of Fukushima, that of Niigata and that of Yamagata .

Bandai Asahi National Park is the 3 rd largest protected area in Japan , bounded by the Bandai Azuma mountain range to the south and the holy mountain Dewa Sanzan to the north. The park is therefore the ideal place to visit for all those who love nature, large expanses and wild animals.

• Read also: The national parks of Japan

A Preserved Park

Although the park is open to the public, its status as a national park makes it a privileged place for the protection of both flora and fauna . Indeed, in Japan, only 29 parks are under the status of national park, which implies several objectives: to protect landscapes and ecosystems and to promote among the population access to environmental education, tourism and outdoor recreation.

• Read also: Selection of 10 national parks

Visitors can therefore alternate hiking in nature, but also water sports on certain lakes in the park. Or bathe, or take bike rides on the various tracks that wind this high place of green tourism. But that's not all, once winter comes, Mount Bandai welcomes skiers on its 29 trails, as well as cross-country skiing or snowshoeing enthusiasts.

• Read also: Mount Bandai, volcano and ski slopes

3 Essentials To Visit

If we had to remember 3 places to visit in Bandai Asahi Park, it would first be Lake Inawashiro, Goshikinuma Swamp and Lake Hibara.

Lake Inawashiro

Lake Inawashiro is a large lake, also called Paradise Mirror Lake , with Mount Bandai reflecting on its surface. The lake has many beaches and is also the place of passage for the migration of wild swans . Be careful, however, it is better to avoid the lake during the Japanese holiday period . Particularly prized for its beauty by the inhabitants of the surroundings, it can sometimes be taken by storm in summer.

Goshikinuma Marshes

The Goshikinuma Swamps are also worth a visit. Nicknamed the "five-colored lakes", because of their variable colors according to the seasons, the weather, and their composition , they offer an exceptional natural spectacle. A one hour hike allows you to discover these swamps, while having a fantastic view of Mount Bandai.

Lake Hibara

Finally, Lake Hibara which is perhaps the most particular of the lakes in Bandai Asahi Park. Indeed, it is rarely visited, because some visitors prefer to stroll around the first two lakes, without necessarily embarking on a hike of several kilometers. Some infrastructures are therefore abandoned and one can see, around the lake some traces of vestiges of the old village which the eruption of Mount Bandai would have made disappear and which would be, today, entirely covered by water.

From Lake Hibara, you can take a bus back to the starting point of the hike. Practical for the most tired, even if we still advise you to make the trip in the other direction, we sometimes discover details that had escaped us during the first passage.

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