Okama Crater, Zao-machi

It's not often you can get views like these, especially of two prefectures at once. It takes a while to get up here, but I think it's worth the effort. The crater itself is so cool; we saw it still half frozen over during Golden Week. You can walk up pretty close to it, but if you come when there's still snow make sure you're dressed for it. The shrine at the top is neat as well, and the gift shop has lots of cute stuff. Unfortunately, we didn't notice the shop closed around 3:45pm and missed our chance to go back in to grab souvenirs. If you come later in the day, make sure to stop in first, as the crater isn't going anywhere. If you come by car, be careful to leave before the gate closes, I believe at 5pm.

I’ve skied at Zao several times, but this was my first summer visit. I have always wanted to hike and see Okama, and I would recommend this spot if you can. We drove up in a personal vehicle, but there are hiking trails and a chair lift a bit below the uppermost parking lot if you’re not driving. We also saw some cyclists biking up! There are many great hikes around, and of course, you can see the famous snow monsters without their snow!