Tashiro Pond and Wetland

Tashiro Pond lies roughly midway along the Kamikochi valley trail between Kappa Bridge and Taisho Pond. Fed by rainwater filtering down from surrounding peaks as groundwater, it stays clear enough to reflect Mt. Roppyaku and Mt. Kasumizawa on calm days. The pond has been gradually shallowing since at least 1915 as sediment and decaying plant matter accumulate on the bed, slowly converting it from pond to wetland. Summer brings golden zenteika daylilies and orange Japanese azalea along the banks. In late October, the needles of Japanese larch trees around the water turn deep gold, and on frosty mornings the frost-covered trees reflect in the surface like lit columns.