The first three photos feature Mount Zao which is located on the southern border of Miyagi and Yamagata Prefectures. The highest peak is Mount Kumano (1,841m), located on the Yamagata side. From Miyagi Prefecture, craters as well as a crater lake named Okama can be seen. This mountain range is also the only place where rime on trees can be observed. Thanks to volcanic Mount Zao, there are many Onsen hot spring facilities at the foot of the mountain on both sides. Access to the mountain is relatively easy with well-developed ropeways and the Zao Echo Line sightseeing road. If you are lucky, you can see rainbows like the one in a photo.
The last three photos are of Mount Issai-Kyozan and Mount Azuma Kofuji in the volcanic Azuma Mountain Range stretching from east to west along the border of Yamagata and Fukushima Prefectures. Almost the entire area is part of Bandai-Asahi National Park. Two main sightseeing roads (Bandai-Azuma Skyline and Bandai-Azuma Lakeline) provide easy access to the mountains. Also, the area is blessed with hot springs and many tourists visit Shirafu Onsen and Tsuchiyu Onsen resorts during autumn foliage and ski seasons. From the top of Mount Issai-Kyozan, the 'Five-Colored Pond', commonly known as 'Eyes of a Witch', can be seen clearly.
All of these mountains are included in the '100 Famous Mountains of Japan'.
Takako Sakamoto @takako.sakamoto
I was born in and grew up in Tokushima prefecture, and have lived in many places since then: Nishinomiya, Kyoto, Nara, Mie, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Fukuoka and Fukui. I am currently living in Yokohama City. All the places I lived, all the places I visited, I have loved dearly. The histor...
