Hachimantai located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan is a city mainly surrounded by high valleys. Hachimantai Peak, with its natural beauty at an altitude of 1,613 meters above sea level, has become an attractive destination for tourists from all over the world. One of the names that attracts the most attention is Lake Kagami Numa.

The unique phenomenon of melting ice at Kagami Numa has created an impressive image.

Located near the summit of Mount Hachimantai, in the middle of a dense forest, Kagami Numa doesn’t look much different from the volcanic lakes in the area most of the year. But about a week – from May to early June, Kagami Numa will turn into an impressive giant blue “eye”.

The Dragon’s Eye Lake only appears once a year.

The unique sight of Kagami Numa went viral in 2016, when a tourist took a picture of the lake with a beautiful turquoise arc, surrounded by white arcs like an eye. giant. Inspired by this unique image, Kagami Numa was given the name of Dragon’s Eye Lake by everyone, and caused a storm on the tourist forums at that time.

The unique appearance of Dragon’s Eye Lake during this one week is said to be tied to the legend of two dragons falling in love who chose this water area as a meeting point.

Today, some tourists even bring offerings to the dragon gods according to legend.

Although many people choose to believe in the legend of the lake, when it comes to explaining its eye-like shape, science has a more plausible explanation. Every winter, ice forms on top of Lake Kagami Numa and snow forms a thick layer on its frozen surface. When the ice melts in the spring, the pressure from the water’s depths causes snow to form only in the middle of the lake, making its shape look like a pupil.

The wind moves the ice block in the middle, making the scene more vivid.

When it’s windy, the ice-covered patch in the center rotates, giving the impression of an actual moving pupil. It’s an amazing natural phenomenon, and it’s no wonder that many people from all over the world flock to Mount Hachimantai in late spring just to see these magical blue eyes with their own eyes.

It takes about 15-20 minutes to walk along the trail from the parking lot to reach Dragon Eye Lake.

This phenomenon occurs only once a year, lasting a week from late May to early June just before the ice melts completely. Therefore, if visitors intend to visit Dragon Eye Lake, they should check the update of the ice melt situation from the mountain’s official website before departure.

Source: lifeanimal.net