Bandai-Asahi National Park

Bandai-Asahi National Park spans Fukushima, Yamagata and Niigata prefectures in the Tohoku region of Japan, designated on September 5, 1950 and covering about 1,870 square kilometers, making it the third largest national park in the country. It is divided into three areas: the Dewasanzan-Asahi region, home to the sacred Three Mountains of Dewa and deep beech-forested canyons; the Iide region, with peaks above 2,000 meters compared to the Tohoku Alps; and the Bandai-Azuma-Inawashiro region. Several sites are sacred to the Shugendo ascetic tradition, and the park is home to Japanese serow, Asian black bear and golden eagle.