皆さん、こんにちは！「やまがた留学ポータルサイト」を運営している、山形県みらい企画創造部国際人材活躍・コンベンション誘致推進課の加藤です！

日本での留学に関心のある皆さんへ、山形県での留学の魅力を伝えるため、「やまがた留学BLOG」を始めました。今後、当課職員や県内現役留学生が、留学生の日常や旬な情報等を発信していきます。

さて、東京から山形へ移住して２年目に突入した私は、初めて蔵王の御釜（おかま）へ行ってきました。山形市内は気温３０度を超える８月の真夏日、標高約1600メートルの御釜付近は気温２０度前後ととても涼しく、半袖半ズボンではむしろ寒いくらいでした。

私の写真では分かりづらいですが、エメラルドグリーンに輝く火口湖の直径は約330メートルもあるそうで、近くで見るととても大きいです。冬季は御釜に繋がる道が閉鎖されるため、例年４月下旬～１１月初旬の期間のみ見に行くことができます。

自然豊かな山形県では、その季節毎の美しい景色を楽しむことができます。山形の「今」のおすすめスポットを知りたい方は、山形県公式観光サイト「やまがたへの旅」をご覧ください！

◆「やまがたへの旅」https://yamagatakanko.com/

Hi guys! It is Kato here! I manage the Yamagata Study Abroad Portal Site as part of my job at the International Human Resources Division of the Yamagata Prefectural Government.

We have now officially launched our Yamagata Study Abroad Blog for all of you guys who are interested in studying in Japan! Current exchange students in Yamagata, as well as our staff members, will be updating the blog to regale you with tales of their everyday adventures in Yamagata.

I moved to Yamagata from Tokyo about two years ago, and recently I visited the Okama Crater in Zao for the first time! It was a sweltering August day, with the temperature in Yamagata City reaching over 30 degrees, but 1600 meters above, next to the Okama, it was a pleasantly cool 20 degrees. In fact, I found myself feeling rather chilly in my T-shirt and shorts…

It is difficult to grasp the sheer scale of the Okama just from my picture. The crater is tremendously vast, with a diameter of over 330 meters, and it glitters emerald green like an enormous jewel that sits in the mountain. The route to the crater is closed off throughout the winter season, so it is only accessible from late April to early November each year.

Yamagata Prefecture is overflowing with stunning nature that is breathtakingly beautiful in every season. To find out up to date information about the best spots in Yamagata, please visit Yamagata Prefecture’s official tourism site “Stay Yamagata”.

◆「STAY YAMAGATA」　https://yamagatakanko.com/en/

Translated by: Jessie