On Northeastern Japan’s Mt. Hachimantai, A Pond Becomes A “Dragon Eye”; Tourists Come To See Mysterious Phenomenon Caused By Snow Melt

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:44 JST, May 16, 2024

Visitors admire the natural phenomenon known as the “Hachimantai Dragon Eye” at Kagaminuma pond, located near the summit of 1,613-meter-high Mt. Hachimantai, which straddles the border of Iwate and Akita prefectures. When the snow on the edge of the 50-meter-wide pond begins to melt, it forms a ring around the remaining mass in the center, like an iris around a pupil. On clear days, the water takes on the blue color of the sky — as if a massive dragon’s eye has opened.

A 47-year-old office worker from Tokyo, who visited on Tuesday, said: “I was born in the year of the dragon, so I wanted to come this year. I was very happy that I could see the mysterious dragon blue on a day with no clouds and no wind.”