Jeepney Press PASADA

Zao is a mountainous region located in south-west Miyagi Prefecture - perhaps best known for the beautiful Okama crater "mystical crater lake of emerald green" located close to the summit of Mount Zao, which also borders Yamagata Prefecture further to the west.

Zao is the place to go to in any season of the year. In winter, it becomes a popular place for skiing and snowboarding. In spring, visitors can enjoy a beautiful sight of a thousand cherry trees blossoming all at once along the Shiroishi River. And in the summer, people come to escape the summer heat. And as summer gives way to autumn, the mountainsides becomes a fiery-red-orange foliage attracting hikers and cyclists alike. It is a magnificent natural beauty. Mount Zao itself has long been regarded as sacred, and the colorful crater lake at its summit is now one of images that define Miyagi.

Okama crater, Mount Zao / Jeepney Press