Miyogaike Pond 御代ケ池

A serene pond surrounded by lush forest at the top of Mt. Oyama

Miyogaike Pond is located on the often fog-covered peak of Mt. Oyama on Mikurashima Island. To get there, you need to hike a rugged, heavily wooded trail with lush, mossy forest on either side. After climbing down a hill, you'll emerge from the forest to find the placid pond.

The pond is 400 meters in circumference and surrounded by virgin boxwood forest. It is two meters deep and you can still catch sight of the carp that were introduced to the pond during the Meiji era (1868-1912). Miyogaike Pond was formed over 5,000 years ago when the volcano erupted and cooled lava dammed a river. A guide is required to visit.