Let’s Go! Finding the Zao Okama Crater

The Zao Okama Crater was one of the bucket list locations since arriving to Sendai. It can be accessed via bus directly from Sendai Station or from Yamagata Station. We chose to go through Yamagata Station, take the bus to Zao Onsen, then take the ropeway gondola up to the top and take the one and a half hour hike to the crater.

One aspect of the hike that I hope I was able to capture was the constantly changing weather throughout the day. When we arrived at the top of the gondola, the fog had started to roll in. During the hike, the visibility only became worse and it was like staring into the eerie and unknown abyss as we journeyed forward. After climbing for some time and not knowing our exact coordinates, the thick fog parted and we were able to glimpse just the edge of the crater over the ridge. With excitement, we rushed to capture the moment. As we waited and slowly traversed along the ridge, by midday the sun was out and we were able to witness the beautiful green hue of the water far below. The journey mirrored a valuable lesson to never be discouraged by the uncertainty of the road ahead or through life’s challenges, because with dedication and patience, everything will turn out okay in the end.

The Let's Go Series was produced to inspire my ES children to get outside and explore. Only basic English is used in the videos so that children learning English as a second language can follow along.

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Intro Music

Culture Code - Electricity (feat. Michael Zhonga) [NCS Release]    • Culture Code - Electricity (feat. Michael ...  
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Music

Cold Sun by Del   / del-sound  
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