Yokotashiro was added to Your Favorites!
Oze NP, Gunma
Claim this place to tell your story your way.
Oze has 2 wetlands called Yokotashiro: this one is on the Hatomachi–Fujimi route in Gunma; another lies along the distant Hiuchi-ura trail. Same name, separate corners of the park.
Unlike broad, flat Ozegahara, Yokotashiro is a rare sloping wetland high on a ridge, ringed by conifers. At around 1,880 m, it sits roughly 480 m above Ozegahara.
Snow melts later at high-elevation Yokotashiro than in lower Ozegahara, shifting its flower show. In mid-July to early August, yellow Kinkoka blooms in striking abundance across the marsh.
Yokotashiro’s waterlogged patches support moss and sundews. These tiny plants are carnivores: glistening hairs on their leaves trap insects, a surprising bit of drama in a quiet bog.
Yokotashiro’s 17–20° slope makes bare peat vulnerable to runoff. In 2006, teams tested restoration in five 30-cm-square plots, sowing 3 local sedges; plant cover was higher in every plot by 2010 than in 2008.
