An event was held where participants rode in a hot air balloon to view the ``submerged forest'' that can only be seen for two months in spring at Lake Shirakawa in Iide Town, Yamagata Prefecture.
Lake Shirakawa, a dam lake in Iide Town, Yamagata Prefecture, is covered with a forest of white willows, and every spring, large amounts of melting snow from the Iide Mountain Range flow into it, resulting in ``submerged'' trees that look like trees growing out of the water. You can enjoy the forest.
In order to give visitors a bird's-eye view of the submerged forest, where snow still remains, a local company that offers experiences such as canoeing and trekking organized a balloon ride for the first time, with around 20 people participating.
Participants enjoyed taking pictures of the fantastic scenery as they rose to a height of about 20 meters in balloons.
A woman in her 70s from Yamagata City said, ``This is my first time riding in a hot air balloon, but the submerged forest seen from above is so beautiful that it looks like it's reflected in a mirror.''
Morihiro Horie, the president of the company that organized the event, said, ``At this time of year, it's a white submerged forest, but in late April, the trees start to bud and the forest becomes green. Each scenery has its own beauty, so I hope you'll come and visit us.'' We were talking.
The submerged forest can be enjoyed until mid-May, and there are also experiences such as riding a canoe through the trees.