Goshikinuma and Urabandai Nature: Itinerary (Fukushima)

Goshikinuma is a group of ponds born from the eruption of Mount Bandai. This one-day course through the Urabandai highlands walks past mysterious waters that shift between blue and green with the angle of the light.

Course Route

9:00 Start at Bishamonnuma Begin the trail at Bishamonnuma, the largest of the ponds. Its emerald-green surface glows in the morning light. These ponds were born when the great eruption of Mount Bandai in 1888 dammed rivers, and the minerals carried by the eruption give each pond its own distinct shade.

10:00 Stroll the pond group Follow the nature path past Akanuma, Midoronuma, and Rurinuma, each pond showing a different shade. Even on the same day the colors change with the weather and the direction of the light, revealing faces of blue, green, and reddish brown.

11:30 Finish at Yanaginuma Reach Yanaginuma, the end of the roughly 3.6 kilometer trail. Starting from the Bishamonnuma side, the path runs largely in one direction, so it is hard to lose your way, and one way takes about an hour and a half. Breathe the forest air by the quiet water.

13:00 Highland lunch in Urabandai Have lunch at a highland diner or cafe and rest with a view of Mount Bandai. Nearby there are also a produce hall and souvenir shops, where you can enjoy dishes made with local ingredients.

Highlights

The surface of each pond in its own color and the view of the rugged blast crater of Mount Bandai ahead are truly striking. As you walk you can feel the history of how the great natural force of an eruption turned, over more than a century, into this quiet and beautiful group of ponds.

Practical Travel Notes

Time needed Walking the whole trail takes about one and a half hours, and adding lunch and a look around brings it to a half-day or full-day plan. If you stop often for photos, allow around two hours to be safe.

Getting around The base is JR Inawashiro Station. Local buses toward the Urabandai highlands run from in front of the station, and you can get off at the Goshikinuma Iriguchi or Urabandai Kogen-eki bus stops. The trail has bus stops at both ends, the Bishamonnuma side at Goshikinuma Iriguchi and the Yanaginuma side near Urabandai Kogen-eki, so walking one way and returning by bus from the far end is efficient. By private car there are parking lots at both ends.

Avoiding crowds The fresh green and autumn seasons are especially popular, and the parking lots fill up too. Setting off first thing in the morning lets you enjoy the quiet waterside at leisure.

Budget sense Walking the trail itself is free, so with transport and lunch, plan for a few thousand yen per adult.

A Quick Tip

The trail has ups and downs, so trekking shoes are reassuring. In the fresh green and autumn seasons the water colors grow even more vivid.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Urabandai Visitor Center (the base on the Bishamonnuma side): open 9:00-17:00 in summer (April to November) and 9:00-16:00 in winter (December to March). Admission free
• Closed: Tuesdays (when Tuesday is a public holiday it opens and closes the following day instead) and over the New Year period
• Parking: the Urabandai Visitor Center car park has 70 spaces for ordinary cars, 5 for large buses and 3 for visitors with disabilities, and is available 24 hours a day
• Toilets and vending machines: according to the official guidance from the Urabandai Visitor Center, there are neither toilets nor vending machines along the nature trail. Take care of these before you start walking
• Enquiries: 0241-32-2850 (Urabandai Visitor Center) / 0241-32-2349 (Urabandai Tourism Association, 9:00-17:00)
• Official information: the official Urabandai Visitor Center website (Bandai-Asahi National Park) / the official Urabandai Tourism Association website / Fukushima Prefecture's tourism website Travel Fukushima

* The above is a guide based on information published by each facility and local government. Hours and fees may change, so please check the official information before you set out.