Inawashiro Tourist Assosiation

About Inawashiro / BandaiAbout Inawashiro / Bandai

admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 07:17:41 +0000

Inawashiro/Bandai is almost in the center of Fukushima Prefecture; on the north is Mt. Bandai with its southern slope dotted with ski resorts and on the south is Lake Inawashiro where visitors can enjoy swimming, fishing and other water sports. Numerous onsen (hot springs), owing to the abundance of natural springs in the area, and a wealth of scenic beauty spots add to the area’s attractiveness and charm visitors.Inawashiro/Bandai is almost in the center of Fukushima Prefecture; on the north is Mt. Bandai with its southern slope dotted with ski resorts and on the south is Lake Inawashiro where visitors can enjoy swimming, fishing and other water sports. Numerous onsen (hot springs), owing to the abundance of natural springs in the area, and a wealth of scenic beauty spots add to the area’s attractiveness and charm visitors.

地名の由来「猪苗代」Origin of the name “Inawashiro”

admin — Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:49:46 +0000

An old legend tells the story of the deity Iwahashi Myojin cultivating rice with the help of a wild boar. The combination of the characters for “boar” (猪) and “bed for rice seedlings” (苗代), hence “Inawashiro” (猪苗代). An alternative theory finds the word to have its origin in the language of the Ainu people, but in any case it points to a deep connection with the cultivation of rice. Present day Inawashiro owes its form to a large-scale eruption of the Mt. Bandai and Mt. Nekoma volcanoes that occurred between 40,000 and 50,000 years ago. There are also indications that the area around Lake Inawashiro was already inhabited by indigenous peoples 12,000 years ago. Especially in the southeast base area of the mountain facing the lake, ruins from the Jomon and Paleolithic/Pre-Jomon periods are still visible. The ruins that have been found in the bottom of the lake in the Nagahama, Kanisawahama and Sanjogata areas have been dated back to the Jomon and Kofun periods.

野口英世のふるさとBirthplace of Hideyo Noguchi

admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 07:23:38 +0000

Hideyo Noguchi was born the eldest son of a farmer family on November 9, 1876 in Inawashiro. Around the town several places related to him and his family still exist. He took his basic education here before going abroad to study and become a world-renowned doctor and three-time Nobel Prize candidate.

天然記念物Natural Monuments

admin — Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:52:10 +0000

One of Aizu district’s “Five Famous Cherry Trees” or “Aizu no Gozakura,” the “Oshika Zakura” (elk cherry tree), a multi-petal variety of the satozakura cherry tree, is seen on the left side of Iwahashi-jinja Shrine’s main building. “Mine no O-ishi” (great rock of Mine) a big mass of pyroxene andesite originally from Mt. Bandai’s crater that got separated during the great eruption of 1888. Also, the Tatsuzawa hamlet, the “Gods’ Forest” and “Tatsuzawa Virgin Forest” which, according to the legend, must never be lumbered, features the “Ohara Kannon Pine,” a pine tree presumed to be 300 years old with a height of 29 m (95 ft) and a chest-level circumference of 4.2 m (13.7 ft). Nestled in the heart of the Otaki mountain range towering over the northeast side of Lake Inawashiro and near the forest of the Tatsuzawa Oyamazumi Shrine is a mountain village community with a long wood-turning tradition.

自然

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2016 05:05:00 +0000

Lake Inawashiro is a freshwater lake, the third in size in Japan and with a water transparency of 12-15 degrees. The lake is a migration ground for swans and home to the “Mizusugi-koge” moss clusters that have been designated a National Natural Monument. There is only one island in the lake, Okina-jima Island. Its view from National Route 49 as well as from the adjacent railway lines is considered among the most scenic spots in the lake area.

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 10:47:58 +0000

Other places of natural interest include the crater lake Okenuma with a diameter of about 100 meters (328 ft), emerald green waters and a beautiful hiking trail; Urabandai Goshikinuma, a cluster of five volcanic ponds; Oguninuma Pond, whose wetlands feature about 300 different species; and the largest of the Urabandai lakes, Lake Hibara, also a hot-spot for pond smelt fishing and best viewed through pleasure cruises.

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 10:48:03 +0000

Waterfalls Characteristic of the area is Tatsuzawa Fudo no Taki waterfall. The water from Mt. Funamyojin of the Adatara mountain range flows in the Fudo-gawa River and from there in the waterfall, which has also been a place of worship for the Buddhist divine entity Fudoson. Particularly beautiful when the foliage is fresh but also in autumn colors, the twin cascades – the majestic “male” Odaki and the graceful “female” Medaki – display a marked contrast.

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 10:48:53 +0000

Also worthy of notice are the 25 m (82 ft) tall and always cool Onogawa Fudo no Taki waterfall, the biggest in the Urabandai highlands, and the Shiraito no Taki waterfall with its hot-spring water gushing forth from the old site of the Iyo-kozan sulfur mines.

旬のスポット

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 10:52:58 +0000

Spring Spots famous for their cherry blossoms are the Kannonji-gawa River, where trees are lined up for about a kilometer on both sides of the river and have received the Japanese Cherry Blossom Association’s commendation in 1997, Kamegajoshi, Hanitsu-jinja Shrine, Iwahashi-jinja Shrine’s with its “Oshika Cherry-Trees,” one of Aizu Domain’s “Five Famous Cherry-Trees” (“Gozakura”), Showa no Mori and Myoke.

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 10:53:33 +0000

Summer Renowned as Honshu’s premier spot for buckwheat cultivation (from which soba noodles are made), during bloom time the plants’ flowers create a beautiful white carpet, while on the lake the blooming yellow flowers of the aquatic plant Asaza make for magnificent scenery. Also worth seeing are the lavender in Inawashiro Herb Garden, Tatsuzawa Fudo no Taki waterfall and Nakatsugawa Canyon.