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Izunuma and Uchinuma

Little knownBarely documented in English. This is the kind of place the site exists for.

Researched and written by Hinato

IzunumaRamsargeeseKuriharawetland

Photo: Σ64 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · original

Izunuma and Uchinuma looks different depending on the season, the weather, and the time of day — none of which a single photo can tell you.

Izunuma and Uchinuma are shallow lowland marshes covering about four square kilometres on the Semboku plain, and because there is little snow here and the water does not freeze, tens of thousands of greater white-fronted geese winter on them. They were listed under the Ramsar Convention in 1985, among the first sites in Japan.

The thing to see is the departure at dawn. The geese roost on the water overnight and leave in waves at first light to feed in the surrounding paddies, and the noise and the density of birds going up is not comparable to anything else in Honshu. In the evening they come back. In summer the same water is covered in lotus. The Sanctuary Centre on the shore has displays and runs observation events.

Before you go

Access hours

Marshes open at all times | Sanctuary Center keeps its own hours

Closed: Marshes open year-round | Sanctuary Center has its own rest days

Entry fee

Free | Sanctuary Center free or low-cost — confirm on arrival

Best time to visit

Late October–March for the geese | July–August for lotus

Time to allow

2 hours | Dawn or dusk for the geese

Access route

Access notes

Wakayanagi Kamihataoka, Kurihara, extending into Tome, on the Semboku plain. Car recommended. The marshes are free to visit; the Miyagi Prefectural Izunuma-Uchinuma Sanctuary Center on the shore has displays on the wetland and runs guided observation events, keeping its own hours and rest days. Greater white-fronted geese winter here in the tens of thousands from around late October to March, leaving the water at dawn and returning at dusk. Lotus covers the water in summer. Listed under the Ramsar Convention in 1985.

Local knowledge

**Dawn is the event.** The geese leave the water in waves at first light. Arriving after sunrise means an empty marsh and a wasted early start. **Late October to March.** Outside that the geese are not here. Peak numbers are in midwinter. **Dress for a cold field at dawn.** Open water on a plain in January in northern Honshu, standing still. Warmer clothes than you think. **Summer is lotus.** The same water disappears under lotus leaves and flowers from July, which is a completely different landscape. **Start at the Sanctuary Centre.** It explains what you are looking at and runs guided observation, which for a wetland matters more than for a viewpoint.

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