Urabandai and Goshikinuma: Ponds of Many Colors and the Route from Inawashiro in Fukushima

This guide covers the Goshikinuma ponds, the nature trail, Bishamon-numa, the Urabandai Visitor Center, Lake Inawashiro, and the practical details for reaching them from Inawashiro.

The Goshikinuma lakes and marshes are a group of ponds dotted across the area. This guide follows the ponds from the nature trail to the boats on Bishamon-numa, then to the lake at Inawashiro.

Quick Facts

Item	Detail
Goshikinuma lakes and marshes	20 to 30
Year of the eruption that formed Goshikinuma	1888
Bishamon-numa boat capacity, adult passengers	Up to 3 adults, junior high school age and older

The Colors of the Goshikinuma Ponds

The color of the water differs from pond to pond at Goshikinuma, from emerald green and cobalt blue to turquoise blue, emerald blue and pastel blue. The ponds of Goshikinuma also look slightly different in color with the season, the weather and the time of day. The differences in color at Goshikinuma come from the weather, the season, the viewing angle and the volcanic substances in the water.

Benten-numa is turquoise blue or cobalt blue. Akanuma changes color with the seasons, green in winter and blue in summer. Many Goshikinuma ponds are acidic and carry large amounts of iron, manganese and aluminum. Blue or red water in some Goshikinuma ponds comes from light scattering by aluminum silicate microparticles in the water and from light reflected by iron oxide on the bottom.

Walking the Goshikinuma Nature Trail

Aonuma comes into view soon after the west entrance of the Goshikinuma Nature Trail. The ponds share a connected water system, fed by groundwater that starts at Dounuma near the crater of Mount Bandai. Collecting of any kind is banned across the Goshikinuma area, which lies in Bandai-Asahi National Park.

The table below lists what the trail involves.

Item	Detail
Goshikinuma Nature Trail, length	About 4 km one way
Goshikinuma Nature Trail, walking time	1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes one way
Aonuma, from the west entrance	About 10 minutes

Bishamon-numa and the Boats

Bishamon-numa is a short walk from the Urabandai Visitor Center or from the Goshikinuma Iriguchi Kanko Plaza parking lot. The boats on Bishamon-numa carry a limited number of passengers, and the limit depends on how many adults and children are aboard. The boat fee on Bishamon-numa is charged per boat, with a lower price for the shorter ride and a higher price for the longer ride.

How the Ponds Formed and the Eruption Museum

Goshikinuma formed when a debris avalanche from a steam explosion of Mount Bandai dammed the Nagase River and its tributaries. The eruption collapsed part of the north side of the summit of Mount Bandai, including Kobandai, and the debris dammed rivers to form lakes and marshes in the area.

The Bandaisan Funka Kinenkan museum is reached by taking an Aizu Bus to the stop in front of it, then walking a short way.

Lake Inawashiro and Baggage Storage

The water of Lake Inawashiro is weakly acidic and low in nutrients, because the Nagase River carries volcanic acidic water into the lake.

Baggage storage is available at the Inawashiro Tourist Association in front of JR Inawashiro Station.

Visitors who want a ready-made plan around Urabandai can browse tours around Urabandai and Goshikinuma.

Costs and Hours

Item	Price
Boat on Bishamon-numa, 30 minutes	1,000 yen per boat
Boat on Bishamon-numa, 1 hour	1,800 yen per boat
Bandaisan Funka Kinenkan, adult	600 yen
Bandaisan Funka Kinenkan, junior high and high school student	500 yen
Bandaisan Funka Kinenkan, elementary school student	400 yen
Kayak rental at Bandai Lakeside Garden, day-use visitor	2,900 yen per person; free for elementary school children and younger with an adult
Boot rental	500 yen
Baggage storage at the Inawashiro Tourist Association	600 yen per piece, tax included
Baggage storage, discount service for bicycle rental users and similar	300 yen per piece, tax included

Item	Hours
Bishamon-numa boats	9:00 to 16:00, normal operating hours
Urabandai Visitor Center, April to November	9:00 to 17:00
Urabandai Visitor Center, December to March	9:00 to 16:00
Urabandai Visitor Center, closed days	Tuesdays, and over the year-end and New Year period; open on a Tuesday that is a holiday, with the next day closed instead
Rental goods at the Urabandai Visitor Center, same-day lending	9:00 to 16:00, while the visitor center is open
Bandaisan Funka Kinenkan, April to November	8:00 to 17:00, last admission 16:30
Bandaisan Funka Kinenkan, December to March	9:00 to 16:00, last admission 15:30
3D World	Open April to November, closed in winter
Urabandai Bussankan, summer season	9:00 to 17:00
Baggage storage at the Inawashiro Tourist Association	8:30 to 17:00, accepted on the day of use

Getting to Urabandai and Goshikinuma

This section starts with the rail routes to Inawashiro and ends at the Urabandai Visitor Center.

1. From Tokyo, ride the Shinkansen to Koriyama for 7,810 yen.
2. From Koriyama, ride the train to Inawashiro for 680 yen.
3. From the Inawashiro Station bus stop, ride the route bus to the Goshikinuma Iriguchi bus stop, which takes about 35 minutes.
4. Walk about 2 minutes from the Goshikinuma Iriguchi bus stop to the Urabandai Visitor Center.

Route	Detail
Train fare, Aizuwakamatsu to Inawashiro	510 yen
Shinkansen fare, Sendai to Koriyama	4,950 yen
Bus fare, Inawashiro to various places in Urabandai	780 to 910 yen
Bus fare between Goshikinuma Iriguchi and Urabandai Kogen Station, adult	250 yen, as of August 2024
Route bus, Kitakata Station to Goshikinuma Iriguchi	About 70 minutes
By car, Aizuwakamatsu Station to the Urabandai Visitor Center via National Route 49 and Inawashiro	About 1 hour
By car, Koriyama Station to the Urabandai Visitor Center via National Route 49 and Inawashiro	About 1 hour 20 minutes