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Myōkō-Togakushi Renzan NP, Niigata
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Nonnative water lilies once carpeted Imori Pond, crowding out native plants and hiding the “upside-down Myoko” reflection. The visitor center joined local crews cutting them from boats and raking out their roots.
Imori Pond beside the center is not a natural lake: it was made from wetland in 1927 as an irrigation reservoir. The 12,295-square-meter pond’s famous mountain mirror began as waterworks.
Around the nearby wetlands, Japanese tree frogs suspend frothy egg masses from branches over ponds—a surprising nursery above the water. The center’s nature interpretation helps visitors notice this unusual local wildlife.
The center introduces Japan’s rock ptarmigan, whose park population lives only around Mt. Hiuchi and neighboring Mt. Yake. The population has been described as just several dozen birds.
Imori Pond takes its name from the red-bellied newts found around these wetlands. So the name points not to Myoko’s grand mountain reflection, but to one of the pond’s small amphibian neighbors.
The Japanese yellow bunting, called Nojiko, arrives around Imori Pond before the trees leaf out. Its early song has earned it a local nickname as a herald of spring in this snowy region.
Nearby Ikenotaira’s Kayaba slope was part of a national first: in October 1950, it received one of Japan’s first Transport Ministry-approved ski lifts, installed alongside one at Akakura.
Inside the center, a 240-inch screen works with a physical terrain model: projected images spill across the miniature landscape, turning the park’s ridges and valleys into part of the show.
The center says it hosts more than 80 events a year. Around Imori Pond, seasonal observation walks and nature classes also bring local volunteers and visitors together outdoors.
A visitor center has stood here since 1983. The original served for 36 years and drew about 100,000 visits a year before today’s larger facility opened in 2022.
The center does not sell canned or plastic-bottled drinks, to avoid creating throwaway packaging. Instead, visitors can refill a reusable bottle at its water dispenser.
