Hello everyone! I’m Moeha, and I’m currently doing an internship at Wawo Japan Travel. I’ll be joining the team full-time starting this June.
Our company was invited to a FAM tour in Fukushima this January 30th – 31st, themed “Extreme tour; explore the unknown charms of Fukushima in the winter”.
In Fukushima, a travel agency focusing in extreme tours, offers an extraordinary experience through thrilling and adventurous activities that guests can enjoy during the winter in Fukushima, including riding a snowmobile to the top of the mountain with an elevation of 1,230 meters, and snowshoeing at night to stroll the hill and do stargazing.
Through the FAM tour, I experienced snowshoeing at Goshikinuma, meaning “five colored pond” made from the eruption of a volcano, and caving at the Irimizu Limestone Cave.
Snowshoeing at Goshikinuma
Goshikinuma has been certified as a great place to visit by the Michelin Green Guide. It’s a beautiful place where visitors can enjoy a variety of shades of blue and green depending on the weather conditions, the seasons, and the viewing angle; and that is where its name comes from, as “Goshikinuma” means five colored ponds in Japanese. When I visited, I saw the emerald green-colored pond, but the guide who took us around told me it would be different if I went there again. It was a spectacular view after I snowshoed for half an hour, as shown in the picture below. The trails around the ponds are mostly flat, so the trail is enjoyable to visitors who are not into trekking . Please visit and look forward to what the color of the ponds will be the day you visit!
Caving at the Irimizu Limestone Cave
Irimizu Limestone Cave is a narrow cave that runs approximately 900 meters, and there are three routes to choose from. Route A, which I tried, is the easiest to access and takes only 30 mins. The other two routes (Routes B and C) take more than an hour, and visitors will get wet through the trail as they need to crawl through the cracks and crevices inside the cave. Route A was the easiest one, but it was still so much fun and thrilling to cave through narrow paths. You can rent candles (the cave is dark), raincoats, rubber shoes, etc., so you don’t need to worry about preparation too much. But if you’re going to try routes B and C, you will need to prepare extra clothes (because you’ll get wet)!
Snowmobile at Washikura Onsen
We were supposed to try snowmobiles as one of the activities, but unfortunately, Japan had a mild winter this year and a lack of snow to snowmobile. However, we were able to visit the place where visitors experience snowmobiles and learn how the activity is offered to visitors. The staff were well-trained and experienced, so even beginners can easily enjoy riding snowmobiles here. Additionally, the place where visitors can snowmobile is also known for its nice hot springs, located at an elevation of 1,230 meters above sea level. Visitors can try snowmobiles and relax at the hot springs afterwards.
If you have any opportunity to visit Fukushima, please feel free to participate in an activity to see more charms of Fukushima! They’re offering different activities depending on the seasons, so check it out from their website!
(Extreme Fukushima: https://extremefukushima.ne.jp/en/)