, is a cluster of five volcanic lakes situated at the foot of

Mount Bandai is a stratovolcano located in Inawashiro-town, Bandai-town, and Kitashiobara village, in Yama-Gun, Fukushima prefecture. It is an active stratovolcano located to the north of Lake Inawashiro. Mount Bandai, including the Bandai heights, belong ...

in the center of the lake district of Bandai-kōgen,

Kitashiobara, Fukushima Lake Akimoto is a village located in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. , the village had an estimated population of 2,697 in 1091 households, and a population density of 12 persons per km². The total area of the village was . Geography Kitashiobara ...

, Japan. Goshiki-numa formed when Mount Bandai erupted on July 15, 1888, destroying dozens of villages and killing approximately 500 people while creating hundreds of lakes and

tarns A tarn (or corrie loch) is a proglacial mountain lake, pond or pool, formed in a cirque excavated by a glacier. A moraine may form a natural dam below a tarn. Etymology The word is derived from the Old Norse word ''tjörn'' ("a small mounta ...

. The eruption completely rearranged the landscape, creating the Bandai-kōgen plateau and damming local rivers. The eruption imparted mineral deposits to the Five Colored Lakes giving each of them their own delicate color, ranging from reddish green to

cobalt blue Cobalt blue is a blue pigment made by sintering cobalt(II) oxide with aluminum(III) oxide (alumina) at 1200 °C. Chemically, cobalt blue pigment is cobalt(II) oxide-aluminium oxide, or cobalt(II) aluminate, CoAl2O4. Cobalt blue is lighter ...

. The colors of each lake mysteriously fluctuate throughout the year with the weather. Since the eruption, Goshiki-numa has become a popular tourist destination. An approximately four-kilometer walking path from Lake Bishamon, the largest of the five lakes, to

Lake Hibara is a lake located in Yama District, Fukushima, Yama District, Fukushima Prefecture, Fukushima, Japan. It is a part of the Bandai-Asahi National Park and is the largest of the lakes in the Bandai-kōgen highlands. Formation A Mesotrophic lake#Me ...

affords people a view of all five lakes.Takeda T., page 174.

Gallery

file:Bishamon-numa Pond.JPG, Bishamon-numa file:Aka-numa Pond.JPG, Aka-numa file:Ao-numa Pond.JPG, Ao-numa file:Benten-numa Pond.JPG, Benten-numa file:Midoro-numa Pond.JPG, Midoro-numa

Notes

References

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External links

Japan National Tourist Organization information
Lakes of Japan Tourist attractions in Fukushima Prefecture Landforms of Fukushima Prefecture Kitashiobara, Fukushima {{Fukushima-geo-stub