Now that temperatures are starting to warm up, it’s a great time to check out some of the season’s flowers. Oirase Gorge Hot Spring, a slope with excellent skiing in the winter, has transformed into a dreamy wonderland covered in moss phloxes.

This stunning spot spans the 260-meter-long ski slope and is about an hour drive from Misawa Air Base and worth the hike to see.

“It was a dreamy view, indeed,” says Yoshihito Morita of Misawa Commissary who visited Oirase Gorge Hot Spring this weekend.

“Though it was a kind of tough climbing all the way up through the steep slope for 260 meter, it is rewarding with changing hues of colorful flowers, as if I were seeing a dream after another,” Morita said.

The moss phloxes can be enjoyed until early June, according to a Towada Town official. The temperatures are a little warmer than usual, so hurry over as that may affect how many flowers are around until the usual season end.

Oirase Gorge Hot Spring Location: 64-122, Yakiyama, Horyo, Towada City, Aomori Prefecture Admission: Free URL Tel: 0176-51-6772