Visited 23.05.2016 (Mon)
2nd time lucky. In fact, this is my second attempt to come up close to a crater lake. Visited Mt Aso, an active volcano in Kyushu, in 2014 but did not manage to come up close to Nakadake 中岳 crater due to erratic volcanic activity. Was luckier this time round as I got to see a crater lake of Mt Zao 蔵王連峰, an active volcano which stands at 1,841 tall and spans across two prefectures - Yamagata and Miyagi. Situated within the perimeter of Miyagi Prefecture, the crater lake was given the name "Okama 御釜" due its resemblance to a cooking pot containing hot boiling waters.
Arrived at Kaminoyama Onsen Station to catch the Green Echo-go bus, a complimentary shuttle service, for Katta chairlift station. The entire bus journey took an hour, inclusive of a 15 minutes brief stop at Zao Liza World 蔵王ライザワールド, where passengers can alight here for toilet break and / or take a quick bite at the restaurant. Upon reaching Katta Parking Area, the terminus station of the Green Eco-go bus, I made my way swiftly to the ticket counter to purchase the round trip chairlift ticket and hop onto the chairlift. As the next bus departing from Katta Parking Area for Kaminoyama Onsen Station was an hour later, I had to move fast such that I could maximise my stay here to admire Okama, as much as possible.
Crossover. During the ascend, the mountainous landscape with growing ground cover and scattered patches of melting snow was gradually unveiled. While on the chairlift, I caught sight of a small wooden signboard which said "ここから山形県 (from this point onwards, Yamagata Prefecture)". This was when I realised that I have already crossed the prefectural border once from Yamagata to Miyagi Prefecture during the bus ride from Kaminoyama Onsen Station to Katta Parking Area.
Breathtaking. Alighted excitedly at the summit station, but discovered Okama was not within sight yet. Followed the directional signs and walked along the path made up of volcanic sand to the first observatory spot. I was totally blown away by the unobstructed, panoramic landscape that came into sight - a huge crater surrounded by mountain ranges and filled with still, emerald green coloured waters. White patches of snow cover which were remnant from winter, further enhanced the contrast of this breathtaking scenery. Zao Okama truly fits the description of being a dangerous yet beautiful place that one can find on earth.
More breathtaking. Noticed most tourists continued to trek towards the direction where Kattamine Jinja 刈田嶺神社 (Kattamine Shrine) is situated and decided to follow suit. Glad that I did that as I found the view here better than the former. Maybe due to the slight gain in altitude and shift in viewing orientation, the scenery has less disturbances from man-made installation (such as fences) and looked even more impressive!
Symbol. Prior to this trip, I only know Mt Zao for the intriguing snow monsters (odd-looking, snow covered trees due to heavy snowfall and freezing winds) that appear during the bitter cold winter period. In my opinion, the mysteriously beautiful and stunning Okama (which is closed during winter) is equally deserving to be known as the symbol of Mt Zao and is an amazing nature's work of creation which is precious to come by.
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Zao Okama 蔵王御釜
宮城県蔵王国定公園内
Closed between Nov and Apr
http://www.town.zao.miyagi.jp/kankou/guide/look.html#look02
How to get there?
(1) From Kaminoyama Onsen Station かみのやま温泉駅 , board the Green / White Echo-go bus グリーンエコー号/ ワイトエコー号バス. This is a complimentary shuttle service which departs from the train station for Katta Parking Area 刈田駐車場. Transfer to a chairlift here and alight at the summit station 刈田リフト山頂駅. Green Echo-go bus makes two round trip per day during its operational period from late April to early November, while the White Echo-go bus operates one round trip between November to mid December.
- Green / White Echo-go bus グリーンエコー号/ ワイトエコー号バス: http://kaminoyama-spa.com/access/
- Katta Lift 刈田リフト: http://www.zaoliza.co.jp/smmr/trekking/kattalift.html
Chairlift round trip = 750 yen; Single trip = 450 yen
(2) From Shiroishi Zao Station 白石蔵王駅, board Miyagi Kotsu Bus 宮城交通バス Zao High line 蔵王ハイライン and alight at Zao Katta Sancho / Zao Katta Summit 蔵王刈田山頂, the terminus bus stop. The bus makes two round trip per day during weekends and public holidays from late April to early November. Bus fare = 1,980 yen.
http://www.miyakou.co.jp/cp/zao/timesche.pdf
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Commemorative stamp:
2nd time lucky. In fact, this is my second attempt to come up close to a crater lake. Visited Mt Aso, an active volcano in Kyushu, in 2014 but did not manage to come up close to Nakadake 中岳 crater due to erratic volcanic activity. Was luckier this time round as I got to see a crater lake of Mt Zao 蔵王連峰, an active volcano which stands at 1,841 tall and spans across two prefectures - Yamagata and Miyagi. Situated within the perimeter of Miyagi Prefecture, the crater lake was given the name "Okama 御釜" due its resemblance to a cooking pot containing hot boiling waters.
Arrived at Kaminoyama Onsen Station to catch the Green Echo-go bus, a complimentary shuttle service, for Katta chairlift station. The entire bus journey took an hour, inclusive of a 15 minutes brief stop at Zao Liza World 蔵王ライザワールド, where passengers can alight here for toilet break and / or take a quick bite at the restaurant. Upon reaching Katta Parking Area, the terminus station of the Green Eco-go bus, I made my way swiftly to the ticket counter to purchase the round trip chairlift ticket and hop onto the chairlift. As the next bus departing from Katta Parking Area for Kaminoyama Onsen Station was an hour later, I had to move fast such that I could maximise my stay here to admire Okama, as much as possible.
Crossover. During the ascend, the mountainous landscape with growing ground cover and scattered patches of melting snow was gradually unveiled. While on the chairlift, I caught sight of a small wooden signboard which said "ここから山形県 (from this point onwards, Yamagata Prefecture)". This was when I realised that I have already crossed the prefectural border once from Yamagata to Miyagi Prefecture during the bus ride from Kaminoyama Onsen Station to Katta Parking Area.
Breathtaking. Alighted excitedly at the summit station, but discovered Okama was not within sight yet. Followed the directional signs and walked along the path made up of volcanic sand to the first observatory spot. I was totally blown away by the unobstructed, panoramic landscape that came into sight - a huge crater surrounded by mountain ranges and filled with still, emerald green coloured waters. White patches of snow cover which were remnant from winter, further enhanced the contrast of this breathtaking scenery. Zao Okama truly fits the description of being a dangerous yet beautiful place that one can find on earth.
More breathtaking. Noticed most tourists continued to trek towards the direction where Kattamine Jinja 刈田嶺神社 (Kattamine Shrine) is situated and decided to follow suit. Glad that I did that as I found the view here better than the former. Maybe due to the slight gain in altitude and shift in viewing orientation, the scenery has less disturbances from man-made installation (such as fences) and looked even more impressive!
Symbol. Prior to this trip, I only know Mt Zao for the intriguing snow monsters (odd-looking, snow covered trees due to heavy snowfall and freezing winds) that appear during the bitter cold winter period. In my opinion, the mysteriously beautiful and stunning Okama (which is closed during winter) is equally deserving to be known as the symbol of Mt Zao and is an amazing nature's work of creation which is precious to come by.
======
Zao Okama 蔵王御釜
宮城県蔵王国定公園内
Closed between Nov and Apr
http://www.town.zao.miyagi.jp/kankou/guide/look.html#look02
How to get there?
(1) From Kaminoyama Onsen Station かみのやま温泉駅 , board the Green / White Echo-go bus グリーンエコー号/ ワイトエコー号バス. This is a complimentary shuttle service which departs from the train station for Katta Parking Area 刈田駐車場. Transfer to a chairlift here and alight at the summit station 刈田リフト山頂駅. Green Echo-go bus makes two round trip per day during its operational period from late April to early November, while the White Echo-go bus operates one round trip between November to mid December.
- Green / White Echo-go bus グリーンエコー号/ ワイトエコー号バス: http://kaminoyama-spa.com/access/
- Katta Lift 刈田リフト: http://www.zaoliza.co.jp/smmr/trekking/kattalift.html
Chairlift round trip = 750 yen; Single trip = 450 yen
(2) From Shiroishi Zao Station 白石蔵王駅, board Miyagi Kotsu Bus 宮城交通バス Zao High line 蔵王ハイライン and alight at Zao Katta Sancho / Zao Katta Summit 蔵王刈田山頂, the terminus bus stop. The bus makes two round trip per day during weekends and public holidays from late April to early November. Bus fare = 1,980 yen.
http://www.miyakou.co.jp/cp/zao/timesche.pdf
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Commemorative stamp:
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