What to know
The Bandai region in Fukushima Prefecture is a fantastic outdoor destination, with plenty of walking and hiking trails in summer and skiing in winter. At its heart is Mount Bandai, a volcano that last erupted in 1888. That eruption reshaped the mountain and created the pond-dotted Bandai Highlands, also known as Urabandai (meaning "behind Bandai").
Further north lie the Azuma Mountains, a volcanic range with several peaks, including the beautifully shaped Azuma-Kofuji ("Little Azuma Fuji"), which resembles and is named after the larger and more famous Mount Fuji. To the south of Mount Bandai is Lake Inawashiro, one of Japan's largest lakes.
