Isao S.
Yelp
Oze National Park covers Ozegahara, Japan's largest highland marsh, as well as Oze-numa, Ayame-daira. Mt. Shibutsu, Mt. Hiuchi-gatake and other distinctive natural habitats. Oze is exceedingly popular among mountain climbers, trekkers and hobbyist photographers for the abundance of alpine plants and beauty of the majestic mountain range. The symbol of Oze is the wooden walkway that stretches over 57 kilometers through the marsh, offering comfort hiking while protecting invaluable natural resources.
The marsh, mountains, pools and small isles--all show their beauty in colors in autumn. In particular, the grasses and shrubs that turn color during the season are distinctive of autumn in Oze and a must-see.
The Ozegahara Marshland, located about 1400 meters above sea level, is the most popular area of the park. It's about six kilometers long and one kilometer wide, and has hundreds of small, distinct pools. When walking the length of the marshland, the two mountains seem to hover over hikers at either end of the paths. The Hatomachitoge trailhead is only a one hour walk from the western end of the marshlands, and therefore the most popular among the trailheads.
The most famous image of Oze in Japanese peoples is of the white skunk cabbages in bloom all across Ozegahara in late May and early June. The marshland also becomes very attractive in late July and early August when the yellow alpine lilies are in bloom and during the autumn colors in late September and early October when the grasses of the marshland turn bright yellow and red.
-Access to Oze from Tokyo.
There are two main approaches to Oze National Park. one from the south through Guma Prefecture and one from the north through Fukushima Prefecture. For visitors coming from Tokyo, the approach through Guma Prefecture is much more convenient.
From Tokyo via Gunma Prefecture
There are three major trailheads on the Gunma side of Oze;
Most popular is the Hatomachitoge trailhead because of its proximity because of its proximity to the marshland, a one hour walk away. The road to Hatomachitoge is closed to private vehicles during the peak seasons (daily from late May through July and from mid September to mid October and on weekends during August and the first half of September). Shuttle buses operate to Hatomachitoge from Oze Tokura(930 yen one way), where there are several large parking lots and bus connections from Numata and Tokyo. No public transportation is provided to Hatomachitoge outside of the above mentioned peak seasons.
