Oze尾瀬

Japan's largest high moor. The highland plateau is covered with some 400 shallow pools, crowds of creeping pine trees, and virgin forests of beech trees.

Cradling the boundaries of the three prefectures of Gunma, Niigata, and Fukushima, Oze is the generic name for the areas surrounded by the mountains of Oze-ga-hara, Oze-numa, and other nearby mountains such as Mt. Hiuchi-ga-take, Mt. Keizuru-yama, and Mt. Shibutsu-san. It is located at the center of Oze National Park.

Oze, set on a plateau 1,400-1,700 meters above sea level, is the largest high moor in Japan; it was created by the lava from Mt. Hiuchi-ga-take, which dammed up the Tadami-gawa River. About 400 shallow pools can be seen here and there; rare bog plants such as 'mizubasho' (Japanese skunk cabbage) and 'Nikko-kisuge' (yellow alpine lily) grow in patches; and floating islands of peat layers are visible. Creeping pines growing in stands and virgin forests of beech trees stretch to the nearby mountains. All these areas were designated as a special natural monument of Japan in 1960, and inscribed as registered wetlands under the Ramsar Convention of 2005.

In the colonies of bog plants, trails of logs and wooden planks are laid out as hiking tracks, and mountain huts are available. Lots of travelers flock to the area, especially when the blossoms of 'mizubasho' are at their best in summer and when the leaves turn red in autumn. Spectacular scenic spots such as the grand Sanjo-no-taki Falls can be seen on the upper stream of the Kita-Tadami-gawa River, whose source is Oze.