Ichimanpo-no-mori Forest Bathing Course

This hiking course travels through natural red pine forest sprawling near the entrance of the Nasu Highway (Prefectural Route 17). The 6.5-kilometer-long course, extending from Takaku Atagoyama Park to Mt. Nasu, takes around two hours to walk. A 79-hectare national forest primarily consisting of some 14 thousand red pine trees surrounds the Nasu Highway on either side, and here visitors can enjoy a nature hike while bathing in phytoncides, volatile chemical substances produced by plants and trees which are said to promote health. There are three observatories along the trail from which hikers can get sweeping views of the Naka River and former city of Kuroiso sprawling in the Nasu delta. From June through July, some 1,200 bigleaf hydrangeas in the vicinity of the trail delight the eyes of visitors with their blossoms.