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Katashina, Gunma
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Oze became Japan's 29th national park in 2007 after its core landscape had been protected as part of Nikko National Park since 1934.
Ozegahara stretches about 6 kilometers east to west and 2 kilometers north to south, making it Japan's largest mountain wetland.
Peat in Oze grows by less than a millimeter per year, so even a small depression in the wetland can represent many years of natural growth.
Oze's wooden boardwalk network extends for roughly 65 kilometers, helping visitors cross fragile wetlands while protecting the plants and peat below.
Oze is regarded as a birthplace of Japan's nature-conservation movement, thanks to sustained local campaigns against development.
Lake Ozenuma formed when volcanic activity associated with Mt. Hiuchigatake blocked the headwaters of the Tadami River.
Mt. Shibutsu rises to 2,228 meters and is built from serpentine rock, creating unusual soils that support several rare and distinctive alpine plants.
Ozesou is a distinctive plant associated with Oze and serpentine environments, and its name literally preserves the landscape where it became famous.
Mt. Hiuchigatake reaches 2,356 meters and is the highest mountain in the Tohoku region, rising prominently above the wetlands and Lake Ozenuma.
Mizubasho emerges as snow retreats, covering parts of Oze with white flowers that became one of the most recognizable images of the national park.
Oe Wetland is one of Oze's great Nikko daylily landscapes, turning yellow during the short mountain summer when large colonies flower together.
In autumn, Oze's wetland grasses turn gold and reddish brown in a seasonal display known as kusamomiji, or grass autumn colors.
Oze's conservation history includes vegetation restoration, a pioneering take-your-garbage-home campaign and early private-car restrictions.
The Aizu-Numata trade route carried people and goods through Oze, linking mountain communities in present-day Gunma and Fukushima.
Oe Wetland still preserves earthworks associated with Aizu forces stationed there during the Boshin War in the late 1860s.
Aizu-Komagatake's high ridges contain mountain wetlands and numerous small ponds surrounded by snow-country vegetation and alpine grasslands.
Tashiroyama's summit supports an extensive wetland so elevated and open that the Ministry describes its distinctive scenery as a marsh in the heavens.
Taishakusan rises to 2,060 meters and is known for Osabagusa, a Japanese endemic whose delicate white flowers bloom near the mountain's trails.
Sanjo Falls carries water originating in Oze and is recognized among Japan's 100 famous waterfalls for its powerful flow.
Ayamedaira is a high-elevation wetland whose vegetation was once badly damaged by visitors and later became an important site of restoration work.
Oze's mountain lodges operate within strict environmental limits, including reservations and wastewater measures designed to protect the wetlands.
Visitors are asked to clean soil and seeds from footwear before entering Oze, helping reduce the introduction of plants from outside the ecosystem.
Katashina's Marihime tofu connects the Oze gateway landscape to food through locally grown soybeans and water from the Oze-no-Sato Katashina springs.
The Japanese song Natsu no Omoide, or Summer Memories, helped make Oze's mizubasho flowers familiar across the country.
Oze's short snow-free season compresses flowering into a few months, creating a progression from mizubasho to daylilies, gentians and autumn grasses.
Hinoemata villagers have performed their own form of Kabuki for over 270 years, preserving the art through local families.
Visitors can learn Hinoemata Kabuki stage makeup from local performers in a workshop in the gateway village.
Oze's bokka porters carry heavy supplies on foot to remote mountain huts, helping limit vehicle access to fragile terrain.
Chozo Hirano's early efforts to protect Oze helped inspire generations of conservationists and local stewards.
