有珠山 - Usuzan - 10/19/2022

My Trip Haiku:

Mount Usu beckons,

Ropeway climb to Toya's view,

Yotei stands afar.

Crater's deep descent,

Surreal rim walk with sunbeams,

Komagatake's gaze.

About: Mount Usu (有珠山, Usu-zan) is an active stratovolcano in the Shikotsu-Toya National Park, Hokkaido, Japan. It has erupted four times since 1900: in 1910 (which created Meiji-shinzan), 1944–45 (which created Shōwa-shinzan), August 7, 1977, and on March 31, 2001. To the north lies Lake Tōya. Mount Usu formed on the southern rim of the caldera containing the lake.

Mount Usu and Shōwa-shinzan are major tourist attractions in the Shikotsu-Toya National Park. A ropeway on Mount Usu takes visitors to viewing platforms overlooking Shōwa-shinzan. The 1977 eruption is mentioned in passing in Alan Booth's travelogue, The Roads to Sata. The 2008 G8 Summit was held near Mount Usu at Lake Tōya. (Source: Wikipedia)

Geologic Summary: Usuzan, one of Hokkaido's most well-known volcanoes, is a small stratovolcano located astride the southern topographic rim of the 110,000-year-old Toya caldera. The center of the 10-km-wide, lake-filled caldera contains Nakajima, a group of forested Pleistocene andesitic lava domes. The summit of the basaltic-to-andesitic edifice of Usu is cut by a somma formed about 20-30,000 years ago when collapse of the volcano produced a debris avalanche that reached the sea. Dacitic domes erupted along two NW-SE-trending lines fill and flank the summit caldera. Three of these domes, O-Usu, Ko-Usu and Showashinzan, along with seven crypto-domes, were erupted during historical time. The 1663 eruption of Usu was one of the largest in Hokkaido during historical time. The war-time growth of Showashinzan from 1943-45 was painstakingly documented by the local postmaster, who created the first detailed record of growth of a lava dome. This volcano is located within the Toya Caldera and Usu Volcano, a UNESCO Global Geopark property. (Source: Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program)

My Trip: The drive from Lake Kuttara area was about another hour however I still arrived early enough for what turned out to be an amazing hike (lots of cardio) along with some fantastic views. Mount Usu is a must see and experience. Just taking the ropeway up for the initial views is easy and no hiking necessary unless you decide to go further out to the Usu Crater rim. Views down in the crater and along crater rim, there are noticeable fumaroles and vents.

Usuzan is one of the 55 volcanoes in Japan that are continuously monitored due to the activity.

The drive from Lake Kuttara area was about another hour however I still arrived early enough for what turned out to be an amazing hike (lots of cardio) along with some fantastic views. Mount Usu is a must see and experience. Just taking the ropeway up for the initial views is easy and no hiking necessary unless you decide to go further out to the Usu Crater rim. Views down in the crater and along crater rim, there are noticeable fumeroles and vents.

Usuzan is one of the 55 volcanoes in Japan that are continuously monitored due to the activity.

At this point in my travels I was not using on trail mapping device and given my itinerary, I decided to take the ropeway up. The ropeway I believe was about 1200 Yen which is the equivalent of about $8-9 US Dollars. Taking the ropeway up gets you to a point where there are exquisite views of Lake Toya and Mount Yotei however will not get you to the Usu Crater observatory.

To get to the observatory requires about ~1-1.5 mile hike which involves ALOT of stairs (see below image. These stairs down, you also have to come back up but equivalently, there is another set of stairs once you reach the bottom to climb back up to the ridge.

Here is the AllTrails link to the Usu Outer Rim Trail in what is about 5 KM out and back short hike.

In the background on the left is Mount Iwaonupuri and on the right the taller stratovolcano is Mount Yotei.

I took a quick photo of the Geo park data that explains Usu eruptions a bit more. Again, I will post full video, photos, on my YouTube channel a bit later.

Additionally, there is a nice little park by the shops and parking where a statue is dedicated to a local farmer who took it upon himself to map out the growth of this lava dome called Showashinzanbika.

After riding up the ropeway and facing toward Lake Toya, I was also able to get some nice view of Mount Yotei.

While on the south side of the Usuzan crater rim and staring across Uchiura Bay, you can see the cone shape of Hokkaido Komagatake which I will hike the following day on 10/20/2022. Full video, images, and experience will also be posted soon.