Mount Zao

What?
Zao Onsen (蔵王温泉) is a popular ski-resort, but is way more quiet outside of winter. The place can boast some seriously beautiful hiking trails though, one that leads to the Okama Caldera Lake (御釜) which has reopened on June 22^nd, 2015 after being closed for security reasons. It is also possible to hike the green ski slopes, the forested areas of the mountain and the Iroha-numa swamp (いろは沼). After descending again there is also the possibility to enjoy an onsen in town.
Where?
Zao Onsen in Yamagata Prefecture 山形県 can be reached in winter directly from Sendai (仙台) by bus, but otherwise you need to find your way first to Yamagata by bus or train. From there an hourly bus slowly climbs all the way to the onsen town. To visit the Okama Caldera Lake you need to take the Zao Ropeway (蔵王ロープウェイ) (not to be confused with Zao Chuo Ropeway) to the top station. It’s a rocky hike of approximately an hour and a half from there to the lake.
URL
Japan Guide Outline Zao Tourism

I was seriously troubled on what to do on my second day in Sendai. There’s the Michinoku Park but that’s difficult to reach without car. There’s Akiu but I did not find enough information to my taste. There’s the Kirin Brewery but I already did one in Sanda. There’s Hiraizumi but it seemed quite a distance away. There’s the Naruko Gorge but it was unclear whether the most scenic path had already reopened.
Eventually I decided to take on Mount Zao which has just only reopened exactly one month earlier. At least if it wasn’t raining.

Already for 2 weeks the weather forecast was off, so when they predicted rain for the day I just ignored it and hoped for the best. And rightfully so, because there weren’t even clouds in the air.

The beginning of the hike from the top station to Okama.

Along the way vegetation gets thin.

Disappointingly though, the direct connection between Sendai and Zao Onsen only runs in winter, so I had to take the train to Yamagata (there’s also a bus) and then the bus to Zao Onsen. Once arrived in this ski resort it’s very easy to find your way to the cable car, although there can be some confusion: to reach Mount Zao one has to take the Zao Ropeway and not the Zao Chuo Ropeway which is closer to the bus station. It’s also possible to climb the whole mountain to the top, but I decided to take the Zao Ropeway up (divided by 1 stopover) because I couldn’t figure out how much time it would take me. A wise decision, because the top and the walk to the Okama Caldera Lake were breathtaking so I needed a lot of time to take pictures. On the way down I got off at the first ropeway station and wandered around Iroha-numa, a small but charming swamp. It was a bit disappointing that there weren’t many flowers in bloom, but all in all it was a pretty satisfying closer of a perfect hiking daytrip.