Naganuma

Naganuma means “long swamp.” This is the longest and narrowest of the swamps, and it is constantly changing in size. The water level can rise drastically in spring and early summer, depending on the amount of snowmelt and rain, sometimes reaching as high as the area around the nearby gazebo. By midsummer the water begins dropping, probably emptying out through an underground stream. Directly ahead, beyond the far end of the swamp, is the best view from the trail of the steep eastern slope of Mt. Akakura, or what remains of the mountain after it collapsed many millennia ago, causing a debris avalanche that created the hummock-covered surface of the Tsuta area.