Kitakami Station Tourist Information Center

Ushigatayama

The mountainside is covered with beech forests, and the area around the wetlands and marshes is a treasure trove of alpine plants. If you follow the course from Natsuyu Onsen to Mt. Kyozuka, you will soon reach a turning point to Mt. Ushigata. After passing through a beech forest, passing through a wetland, and passing a steep climb on the way, you will arrive at a flower garden with flowers such as goldenrod. It takes about 15 minutes to reach the top of the mountain. Altitude: 1,340m. The journey takes approximately 2 and a half hours. After coming down from the mountain, we recommend taking a leisurely soak in the famous Natsuyu Onsen.

Iwasawa skunk cabbage colony

The best time to see them is at the same time as the cherry blossoms at the exhibition site every year. There is a wooden path, and you can enjoy skunk cabbage nearby.

Natsuyu Onsen

Natsuyu Onsen is a deep secluded hot spring located at the northern end of Kurikoma Quasi-National Park, overlooking the Natsuyu Valley surrounded by virgin beech forest. The discovery and use of hot springs has a long history, and a medicinal book from the Edo period described it as ``the most famous hot spring in the Nanbu Domain.'' In the hot spring rankings published in Edo and Kyoto at the time, it was ranked as the highest ozeki in the east, along with Hongu Onsen in Kishu, the ozeki in the west. It is still one of the ``100 famous hot springs in Japan''.