Mount Iwaki

Mount Iwaki (岩木山, Iwaki-san) is a stratovolcano located in western Aomori Prefecture, Tohoku, Japan. It is also referred to as Tsugaru-Fuji due to its shape.[1] The mountain is listed as one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains in a 1964 book by mountaineer/author Kyūya Fukada.[2] The mountain and its surroundings are located within the borders of Tsugaru Quasi-National Park.

Mount Iwaki
岩木山
Mount Iwaki and apple orchard
Highest point
Elevation1,624.7 m (5,330 ft)
ListingList of mountains and hills of Japan by height
List of volcanoes in Japan
Coordinates40°39′12″N 140°18′24″E 
Geography
Geology
Mountain typeStratovolcano
Last eruptionMarch 1863

Geology

Mount Iwaki is a roughly symmetrical andesitic stratovolcano, rising in relative isolation from the plains at the base of Tsugaru Peninsula. Its summit crater is two kilometers wide, and it has three lava domes on the western and southern flanks. The mountain had been frequently active in historic times, with very frequent activity consisting mostly of small to moderate phreatic explosions during the Edo period. The last known eruption was on March 23, 1863. Hirosaki University has maintained an observatory with 18 telemetering stations on the mountain since 1981.[3]

Climbing Mount Iwaki
From the summit of Mt Iwaki
Relief Map

The summit, at 1625 meters,[4] can be reached only by hiking, but the length of the hike depends on the route. From Iwakiyama Shrine (岩木山神社), it takes approximately four hours to hike to the top.[5] The trail starts from inside the shrine, before the large gates on the left. The easier and more popular route follows Tsugaru Iwaki Skyline, a tolled road, up to a lift. The skyline road starts from Aomori Prefecture Route 3 on the SW side of Mount Iwaki. At the end of the road there is a chair lift. From the top of the chair lift to the summit it takes around 30-40 minutes to hike.

Getting there

Like much of Aomori, the easiest way to get to Mount Iwaki is by car. The mountain is less than 20 miles (32 km) from Hirosaki, with Highway 3 to the south and west and Highway 30 to the east and north. Alternately, buses run from Hirosaki to the base of the mountain.

References
  1. "Iwaki". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution.
  2. Hyakumeizan, Hiking Japan! Archived 2007-01-09 at the Wayback Machine. Japan Gazetteer. Accessed June 27, 2008.
  3. http://www.wovo.org/0803_27.html
  4. "Touring Mapple 2007 (Tohoku region), Simap, 2007 (in Japanese)
  5. Rowthorne, C. et al.: "Japan (8th edition)", Lonely Planet Publications, 2003
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