All images and video are taken while hiking, visiting, and exploring Japan's volcanic sites.
After hiking Komagadake at Hakone, I drove to Atami in preparation for the jet ferry ride to Izu Oshima the following morning. Izu Oshima is one of the Izu Islands and is part of the Tokyo Metropolis.
My very first trip to this area was March 24 & 25 of 2016, but this time I returned to hike Komagadake itself. Hakone is Japan's most visited national park and sits atop a massive caldera with several active volcanic peaks.
Mt. Sanbe National Park consists of five volcanic peaks in Shimane Prefecture, with the main peak Osanbe at 1,126 m. A peaceful, relatively unvisited stratovolcano with grassy summit meadows, caldera lake, excellent onsen, and 360-degree views over the Sea of Japan and Chugoku mountains.
Kaimondake (924 m) is one of Japan's most perfectly conical stratovolcanoes — a near-symmetrical cone rising directly from the sea on the southern tip of the Satsuma Peninsula. Known as the 'Satsuma Fuji', it's visible for dozens of kilometers across southern Kagoshima.
Lake Ikeda is the largest caldera lake in Kyushu — a 3.5 km circular lake on the Satsuma Peninsula said to be home to a Loch Ness-style monster called Issie. Lake Yamagawa (Ikeda Yamagawa Caldera) directly to the south is a smaller maar crater connected to the same volcanic system.
Unagi Onsen (Eel Hot Spring) is a small secluded volcanic hot spring village on the Satsuma Peninsula where the samurai Saigo Takamori once came to recover. Steam vents directly from the ground throughout the village. A rare, authentic, almost completely tourist-free geothermal experience.
Sakurajima is one of Japan's most active volcanoes, erupting hundreds of times per year. There are no hiking routes on the mountain itself — but several observation decks and lava trails around the island give dramatic views of the ever-smoking crater.
Karakuni (1,700 m) is the highest peak of the Kirishimayama volcanic group, with a spectacular 900 m diameter crater at its summit. The views from the crater rim encompass the entire Kirishima volcanic complex, the Ebino plateau lakes, and on clear days, Sakurajima far to the south.
Yonemaru and Sumiyoshi are two of Japan's 111 designated active volcanoes — small, low-profile maar craters in Kagoshima that most people drive past without realizing. A testament to how widespread volcanic activity is across the Kyushu volcanic arc.
Takachiho-no-mine (1,574 m) is one of Japan's most sacred volcanic peaks — the place where the grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu is said to have descended to earth. The hike up steep volcanic ash and scoria slopes to the summit cross and crater is dramatic and historically profound.
The Ebino Plateau contains three volcanic crater lakes in a compact, walkable area — Rokkannon-miike (green), Byakushi-ike (white), and Fudoike (emerald) — each with distinctly different water colors reflecting different mineral compositions from the Kirishima volcanic system.
A return visit to Unzen (Heisei Shinzan) after rumors of potential access to the top of the lava dome — where a drone was lost in 2023. The trail conditions and new permit system for guided access to closer viewpoints of the 1990–1995 lava dome made this a very different experience from the first visit.
The Abu Volcanic Group in Yamaguchi Prefecture is one of Japan's most recently active and least-visited volcanic areas. The 'Path of the Dragon' — a series of scoria cones and lava flows along the Sea of Japan coast — includes the young Iraoyama scoria cone, last active only 10,000 years ago.
Kitayokodake is a short but scenic snow hike in the North Yatsugatake volcanic plateau in Nagano. The Pilatus Tateshina ropeway delivers you to the snowfield zone, from which the twin-peaked summit is a short hike through spectacular juhyo (snow monster) terrain.
Tateyama is one of Japan's Three Holy Mountains alongside Fuji and Hakusan. The Midagahara (弥陀ヶ原) volcanic plateau at 2,000 m — a UNESCO World Heritage site — is a stunning high-altitude wetland of volcanic ponds, wooden boardwalks, and views of the Tateyama caldera and Jigokudani (Hell Valley).
Norikura is a sprawling volcanic complex on the Nagano-Gifu border, its highest peak at 3,026 m. The Norikura Skyline road (buses only) delivers you to 2,702 m — making Norikura one of the easiest 3,000 m peaks in Japan. The sea of clouds and waterfalls visible from the summit plateau are unforgettable.
Akadake (Red Peak) at 2,899 m is the highest point of the Yatsugatake volcanic range — a complex of ancient volcanic summits spanning Nagano and Yamanashi. The classic ridge traverse via the Bunkurodake and Yatsugatake main ridge is one of the great mountain hikes in central Japan.
Ontake is Japan's second highest volcano at 3,067 m and one of its most sacred mountains. The 2014 phreatic eruption that killed 63 hikers remains Japan's deadliest volcanic disaster since WWII. The memorials on the upper mountain carry immense emotional weight.
Mount Nikko-Shirane is the highest volcano in the Kanto region at 2,578 m. This was the last volcano of the 2023 season — a fitting finale with panoramic views across the Nikko volcanic complex and the famous crater lake Yugama visible below.
Mount Tsurumi is a 1,374 m lava dome volcano in Beppu, Oita, with a ropeway delivering you near the summit. Beppu — Japan's largest hot spring resort city — spreads below with its famous smoke-stacks of steam rising from hundreds of onsen across the city.
Mount Yufu is a 1,583 m volcano on the border of Yufu and Beppu, rising dramatically above the famous Yufuin onsen town. Its twin-peaked summit — a stratovolcano with a twin-crater summit — provides spectacular views across Oita and the Beppu Bay.
Kuju is a stratovolcano group in Oita Prefecture containing the highest peak in Kyushu at 1,787 m. Six peaks in six hours — an epic ridge traverse across the volcanic plateau with active fumaroles, stunning caldera views, and the famous Beppu-Myoban volcanic hot spring area nearby.
Aso is Japan's largest active volcano and one of the largest calderas in the world. The crater lake of Nakadake is constantly churning with turquoise sulfurous water and occasional eruptions.
Unzen is a dramatic active stratovolcano complex in Nagasaki. Heisei Shinzan, the newest and highest lava dome that formed during the devastating 1990–1995 eruption, dominates the skyline above the steaming jigoku (hells) of the hot spring town.
Mount Myogi is one of the major mountains in Gunma Prefecture, well known for its rocks weathered into fantastic forms. Ranked among Japan's three most noted places of rugged beauty, the chain-climbing sections on the steep volcanic rock faces are thrillingly exposed.
Lake Towada is one of Japan's most beautiful caldera lakes — a twin-lobed lake sitting in an ancient volcanic caldera in the mountains of Aomori and Akita. The autumn colors around the lake are among the finest in northern Honshu.
The Hakkoda Mountains are an active volcanic complex in south-central Aomori, listed as one of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains. Famous for its 'snow monsters' (juhyo) in winter and stunning autumn foliage, the ropeway delivers you into a superb alpine volcanic landscape.
Mount Osore is the name of a Buddhist temple and folk religion pilgrimage destination in the center of remote Shimokita Peninsula. Located in the caldera of an active volcano, it is believed to be one of the gates to the underworld. The barren, sulfurous landscape is utterly otherworldly.
Mount Adatara is a stratovolcano in Fukushima Prefecture. Its last known eruption was in 1996. An eruption in 1900 killed 72 workers at a sulfur mine located in the summit crater. The mountain is immortalized in the poetry of Chieko, wife of sculptor Kotaro Takamura.
Omuro-yama is a perfectly preserved scoria cone on the Izu Peninsula, rising 580 m with a pristine 300 m diameter crater. The ropeway to the rim gives a dramatic close-up view into the interior of a near-perfect volcanic crater — no hiking required.
Nantaisan (男体山) is one of Japan's great sacred volcanoes — a near-perfect 2,486 m cone towering above Lake Chuzenji in the heart of Nikko National Park. The summit shrine dedicated to Futarasan Shrine makes this both a religious pilgrimage and a challenging volcanic hike.
Takaharayama is a small, relatively quiet stratovolcano with lava domes SW of Nasudake in Tochigi. The Shiobara Onsen valley at its base is one of the most scenic hot spring towns in the Kanto region.
Nasudake (Chausudake) is one of the most accessible active volcanoes in Japan, rising above the famous Nasu Onsen area in Tochigi. The ropeway takes you most of the way up, and the short summit hike rewards with dramatic views of the active, steaming Chausu crater.
Mount Akagi is a broad, low stratovolcano above the northern Kanto Plain in Gunma. Its summit caldera contains Lake Ono and several post-caldera lava domes. The autumn foliage around the caldera lake is among the finest in the region.
Kusatsu-Shirane's Yugama crater lake is one of Japan's most spectacular and dangerous volcanic features — an intensely acidic turquoise lake (pH as low as 0) surrounded by steaming fumaroles. Manza Onsen nearby offers some of Japan's most sulfurous hot spring baths.
Mount Asama is the most active volcano on Honshu, classified JMA Rank A. Its imposing 2,568 m cone dominates the Gunma-Nagano border. The standard hiking route to Kamayama (the second-highest peak) offers dramatic views of the active Maekake crater — summit access is regulated by JMA alert level.
Azuma-Kofuji is an active stratovolcano in Fukushima whose near-perfect conical crater is accessible via a short boardwalk trail. The Bandai-Azuma Skyline toll road passes directly through the volcanic zone — a drive-through volcano experience.
Bandai is one of Japan's most iconic volcanoes. The catastrophic 1888 eruption blew out the entire northern face of the mountain, creating a landscape of hundreds of lakes and ponds that now makes up the Urabandai highland — one of Japan's most beautiful autumn foliage destinations.
Mount Zao straddles the border of Miyagi and Yamagata Prefectures. Its centrepiece is Okama — a stunning crater lake that changes color with volcanic activity and the seasons, nicknamed the 'Five-Color Pond'.
Mount Haruna is an ancient caldera volcano in Gunma with a beautiful caldera lake at its center. The adjacent Ikaho Onsen is one of Japan's most historic hot spring towns, famous for its stone staircase lined with shops and inns.
Hokkaido Komagatake is a dramatically shaped active stratovolcano on the Oshima Peninsula with a partially collapsed summit revealing its interior. The hike offers extraordinary views across the Tsugaru Strait on a clear day.
Lake Toya is one of the most beautiful caldera lakes in Japan — a vast, nearly circular lake with several volcanic islands in its center. The adjacent Mt. Yotei, a near-perfect stratovolcano cone, looms over the western shore.
Mount Usu is a must-see and experience. The ropeway up gives fantastic initial views, but the real reward is hiking across the crater rim and into the landscape of craters, lava domes, and steaming vents formed by the 1977 and 2000 eruptions.
Noboribetsu Onsen is one of Japan's most famous hot spring resorts, built on the edge of Jigokudani (Hell Valley) — a steaming, sulfurous volcanic crater. Nearby Lake Kuttara is a pristine caldera lake with no inlet or outlet rivers.
Mount Esan sits within the Esan Prefectural Park on the southeastern 'claw' peninsula of Hokkaido. A quiet midday hike through sulfurous fumarolic terrain with sweeping views of the Tsugaru Strait.
