Bandai

The Bandai (磐梯) region in Fukushima Prefecture is an attractive outdoor destination, offering various walking and hiking opportunities in summer and skiing in winter. It centers around Mount Bandai, a volcano which last erupted in 1886. The eruption reshaped the mountain and created the pond-dotted Bandai Highlands, also know as Urabandai (literally "behind Bandai").

Further north lie the Azuma Mountains, a volcanic mountain range with multiple peaks, including the beautifully shaped Azuma-Kofuji ("Little Azuma Fuji"), which resembles and is named after the bigger and more famous Mount Fuji. To the south of Mount Bandai is Lake Inawashiro, one of Japan's biggest lakes.