Hachimantai

Hachimantai is a volcanic plateau region straddling the border of Iwate and Akita prefectures in northern Japan, more wilderness than town. Marshes and beech forest spread across the high ground, broken by steaming vents, and a scattering of mountain onsen serve the hikers and skiers who come for the landscape.

Boardwalks on the Goshogake nature trail pass bubbling mud pots and hissing fumaroles, and in late spring the melting snow on Kagami-numa pond forms the famous Dragon Eye, a blue iris ringed in white that draws photographers for a few short weeks. The Aspite Line road opens in April between high walls of plowed snow.

Toshichi Onsen, one of the highest hot springs in Tohoku, makes a rough-and-ready base, and autumn sets the marshes ablaze in color. Come by car or seasonal bus from Morioka, and treat Hachimantai as a half-day or full-day nature detour on a wider Tohoku route. Winters belong to backcountry skiers.