Iide Town Submerged forest at Lake Shirakawa will open in 2025. The Iide Canoe Club challenge continues this year!

[Iide Town] Submerged forest of Lake Shirakawa will open in 2025. The Iide Canoe Club challenge continues this year! ​
Iide Town Press release: March 14, 2025 The submerged forest of Lake Shirakawa will open in 2025. The Iide Canoe Club challenge continues this year! ~March 23rd, “Prayer Festival for the Safety of the Submerged Forest” will be held~ During the season, we will pray together with the balloon flight so that many visitors can enjoy activities such as activities, sightseeing in the submerged forest, and Iide Town in good health.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/137011/11/137011-11-2173ce2ab75bb6d5c5a54f58eb7ad724-1576×1576.jpg Lake Shirakawa submerged forest canoe tour Starting soon! Miraculous scenery “Lake Shirakawa Submerged Forest” and our thoughts • With the arrival of spring, a miraculous view that only appears for about two months is about to appear! • A scene of [submerged forest] created when snowmelt flows all at once into Lake Shirakawa. We would like you to see and experience this special scene again this year through activities. By inviting people to visit the submerged forest and learning about the story of this area, Yamagata, we would like to create an opportunity for regional revitalization. With this in mind, Ide Canoe Club will take on even more challenges this year! • During this period, in order for many visitors to enjoy activities such as sightseeing in the flooded forest and Iide Town in a healthy and fun manner, Kazuma Shrine, which watches over Lake Shirakawa, will hold a “Prayer Festival for the Safety of the Submerged Forest” on March 23rd, as well as a balloon event, canoe tour, and press release (details below). Iide Town, Yamagata Prefecture, has announced the following: noopener”>Sports Culture Tourism Award 2024”! • At the “Sports Culture Tourism Awards 2024” sponsored by the Japan Tourism Agency, the Japan Sports Agency, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs, we received the Sports Culture Tourism Award in recognition of our efforts to create a sustainable tourist destination centering on “sparkling” canoe tours in the submerged forest of Lake Shirakawa. With this as a tailwind, we will continue to convey the charm of the area to many people this year! Ide Canoe Club’s initiatives, including new activities in the “submerged forest of Lake Shirakawa” Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/137011/11/137011-11-c3fd4d0dc30f353c932b819dd1c216c6-1280×960.jpg Canadian canoe (1) New challenge! “Canadian course” newly established submerged forest canoe tour is a good and synonymous with the canoe club, but from this season, the new “Canadian Course” where you can enjoy rowing in a more serious way is now available! Unlike
traditional tours, you will enjoy the unique operability and appearance of a Canadian canoe that blends in with nature. We deliver new discoveries and excitement to both experienced and repeat visitors. Period: April 11th to May 18th
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/137011/11/137011-11-079a93468db8f0d0287022d972205ab0-1623×1009.jpg Balloon flight (2) Limited time offer! Balloon flight experience (The event period has been greatly expanded!) A “balloon flight
experience” will be held for 5 days only to brighten up your lakeside morning! This creates a unique floating sensation unique to a balloon and a rare opportunity to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the submerged forest above the lake from the sky. This season, it will be held every Sunday during the white submerged forest season, and it will also be held for the first time in May, when the fresh greenery is beautiful! Dates: March 23rd and 30th, April 6th and 13th, May 19th
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/137011/11/137011-11-00a9886fa479fd6fad5237cfbb8afcb5-760×759.jpg Otetsutabi (3) We are looking for friends who will liven up the area at “otetsutabi’! [Submerged forest at Lake Shirakawa] We are recruiting staff to support seasonal operations at “Otetsutabi”. We are looking for people from all over the country who are interested in regional revitalization, and we would like to revitalize the region together by having them stay at Shirakawa-so, which is located next to the submerged forest, and be involved in the operation! Staff members can also participate in canoe tours. Scheduled staff response period: April 18th to May 18th Lake Shirakawa submerged forest “safety prayer festival” held
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/137011/11/137011-11-16b4bf81ad43fb6dd14651983dcfbe74-3900×3782.jpg The inside of the balloon is colorful • Throughout the season, a “Safety Prayer Festival” will be held by the priest of Kazuma Shrine, who watches over Lake Shirakawa, to pray for the safety of various activities and sightseeing in the submerged forest. • Kazuma Shrine was located near the Ipponyanagi tree, the symbol of the submerged forest, but was relocated due to the construction of the dam. We believe this is a shrine worthy of watching over the safety of submerged forests and the revitalization of the region. • Date and time: Sunday, March 23rd from 6:30am at Shirakawa Lakeshore Park218-1 Kazuma, Iide-cho, Nishiokitama-gun, Yamagata Prefecture *The safety prayer festival will be held in conjunction with the balloon flight experience. *We can cover the safety prayer festival, balloon flight experience, and canoe tour. *Media can board the balloon flight experience free of charge. *If you would like to interview or board a balloon flight, please contact us in advance by phone or email Interviews welcome! Please apply below! • Iide Canoe Club/YAMAGATA EXPERIENCE Yuko Horie • TEL 050-1722-1108 / Email canoe@hacinc.jp / Website https://yamagata-ex.com
[Reference] About Lake Shirakawa submerged forest (Please see the website for details)
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/137011/11/137011-11-b38d6dd1a1511f7416b2496789483173-2507×1672.jpg Canoe tour
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/137011/11/137011-11-c3af9a2287cd8a366e8833a601b9176f-3900×2601.jpg Daytime view from the submerged forest BAR • A mysterious landscape that can only be seen for two months in spring at Lake Shirakawa in Iide Town, Yamagata Prefecture. • In spring, a large amount of melted snow flows into Lake Shirakawa from the Iide Mountain Range, one of Japan’s 100 Famous Mountains, which experiences heavy snowfall. When the lake is full, the white willow trees create a fantastic sight, as if they are growing out of the water. You can see it right in front of you from Shirakawa Lakeshore Park. • From around late May, when the inflow of snowmelt water decreases and water fills the rice fields downstream, the water level of the lake gradually decreases, and the “submerged forest” returns to its “forest” appearance. • In recent years, its beauty has been in the spotlight due to its spread on SNS, and in addition to viewing it during regular walks, mainly during the Golden Week period, it is enjoyed by a variety of people including camera enthusiasts, campers, and canoeists.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/137011/11/137011-11-1646fedf7b8aa10455fc2efb7b20627f-1773×1182.jpg White submerged forest
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/137011/11/137011-11-397317315a42fcabbfd26d23ecb5f833-1080×1080.jpg Green submerged forest Highlights of the season • Late March to mid-April White submerged forest Before the white willow trees begin to bud, a world of silence spreads out, shrouded in white with the lingering snow on the lakeshore. • Mid-April to late May: Green submerged forest As the white willows begin to bud, the lake’s surface glows an even darker green color, and you can enjoy the relaxing scenery while listening to the songs of river birds Access • 45 minutes by car from Tohoku Shinkansen Yonezawa Station, Takahata Station, Akayu Station • 20 minutes by car from JR Yonezaka Line Tenoko Station • 40 minutes from Tohoku Chuo Expressway Nanyo Takahata IC via Akayu Bypass Notes on access Currently, Prefectural Route 4, which connects to the submerged forest of Lake Shirakawa, is closed due to falling snow, and traffic is now via Suganuma Pass on the Kawanishi Town side. Please arrive with plenty of time to spare. For details, please check here.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9GNM7G2Nm4 A day spent in the submerged forest of Lake Shirakawa