Lake Hibara is the largest of the lakes in the Urabandai area, and like its neighbours it is a child of 1888. That year Mount Bandai blew out its north face, sending a mass of rock and mud down the valley and blocking the Nagase river, which flooded the land behind the dam. The result is a long, irregular lake with many arms and inlets, drowned valleys that give it a ragged, complex shoreline. The volcano itself still looms above, with its broken crater wall plainly visible from the right angle.
For a rider, the lake is the centrepiece of a very enjoyable region. Roads run along its shores and over the surrounding ridges, with views opening between trees, and some are part of toll routes that link the Bandai highlands. The curves are easy and flowing rather than technical, and the surface is generally smooth, which makes this a good place for a relaxed day. Take care in autumn, when damp leaves collect in the bends, and on cool mornings when mist rises from the water and reduces visibility.
The lake is also a working landscape. Anglers fish for smelt, called wakasagi, through the ice in winter, and pleasure boats and kayaks appear in summer. The surrounding hills are forested with beech and conifers, and in October the colours are famous, drawing crowds to the viewpoints and slowing traffic. Early mornings give calmer water and fewer people, and the light on the far shore can be extraordinarily clear. Spring brings pale green and the last snow on the high slopes.
Inawashiro, with around seventeen thousand people, is the nearest large town, about fourteen kilometres away, with fuel and plenty of food, and Kitakata to the west is a similar distance. Around the lake, small shops and lodges sell refreshments, and hot-spring inns offer a bath and a meal for a night. The area is bear country, so keep noise and sensible habits when walking, and treat the quiet shores with the respect that a place with such a violent past deserves.