🗺️ Hirakubo Waterfowl Park瓢湖水きん公園

Located in Suibara, Agano City, Niigata Prefecture, this man-made lake is famous as a wintering ground for swans. Every year, the first batch of swans flies in from Siberia in early October to spend the winter here, staying until late March. Around late November, during peak season, it is possible to see up to five thousand swans. In 1954 (Showa 29), the late Shigesaburo Yoshikawa became the first person in Japan to successfully raise wild swans, earning him the well-known title of the first generation "Uncle Swans." In 2008 (Heisei 20), it was registered under the Ramsar Convention (an international treaty for the protection of wetlands and waterbird ecosystems). To this day, the successive "Uncle Swans" hold feeding performances three times a day at 9 AM, 11 AM, and 3 PM. At the sound of "koi! koi!" swans, wild ducks, and other waterbirds gather in groups.

From October to March, swans fly in from Siberia. There is also a tradition of being fed by Uncle White Swan. In winter, besides swans, cherry blossoms, irises, and lotuses bloom by the lakeside.