Mt. Asama (Gunma) 浅間山

The last eruption was in 2019, and Mt. Asama continues to puff away to let us know it is still alive. Bordering Gunma and Nagano prefectures, Mt. Asama is a 2,568-meter active volcano. There is a hiking trail up the volcano which can be picked up from the Asama-sansou, a mountain hut on the Nagano-side of Mt. Asama.

For Mt. Asama:

From Tokyo station , take the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Karuizawa station. Then change to the Shinano line and take a train toward Ueda. Get off at Komoro Station and take a bus to Asama-sansou.

For Onioshidashi Park:

Take the JR Agatsuma Line to Manza-Kazawaguchi Station and take the bus to the park (30 minutes).

To get a real sense of the power of the 1783 eruption and subsequent lava flows, visit Onioshidashi Park. The volcanic rock formations have all come from that eruption, but they are in such a disorganized, random, and unattractive arrangement that locals thought the devil himself had pushed the rocks out. The name Onioshidashi means "rocks pushed by the devil."