Okama Crater Lake
御釜 (蔵王連峰)
A preserved streetscape or archaeological site you can walk through.
Photos
Photos from Wikimedia Commons — click any image for the photographer and licence.
What this place is
Okama (Japanese: 御釜), meaning an honourable cauldron, is the inactive volcanic crater (crater lake) on top of Mount Zaō, located in Kawasaki, Miyagi, on the border with Yamagata, Japan. While local people call it affectionately Okama, the visitors tend to call it Goshiki-numa (五色沼), meaning "Five Color Pond", because its color changes depending on the time of the day, the weather, or the season of the year. Okama Crater Lake is situated at the height of about 1600 meters above sea level. According to the 1968 survey, its east–west and north–south diameters are both 325 meters, and maximum depth is 27.6 meters.
Background text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Why it is worth the trip
- Buildings and layouts kept as they were, so the scale of an older Japan is still readable on the ground.
- Interpretation panels and reconstructions that turn foundations and fragments into a story.
- Working shops, workshops or houses inside the district — this is heritage still in use, not a stage set.
What you can do here
- Walk the main street end to end, then double back through the side lanes where the crowds thin out.
- Go inside at least one open house or exhibition hall to see how the interiors were arranged.
- Try a craft workshop or local speciality made the way it has been for generations.
- Photograph early morning or late afternoon, when the light is warm and the street is quiet.
Getting there
We do not have step-by-step transit directions for this spot yet. Open the location on Google Maps for routes from where you are staying.
Good to know before you go
- Many buildings are private homes — stay outside unless entry is clearly signposted.
- Stone-paved lanes are uneven; comfortable shoes make a big difference.
- Shops here close early, often around 17:00, even when the street itself stays open.
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