Mount Iwaki 2.85

Mount Iwaki is a stratovolcano located in western Aomori Prefecture, Tohoku, Japan. It is also referred to as Tsugaru-Fuji from its shape. the mountain is listed as one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains in a book composed in 1964 by mountaineer/author Kyūya Fukada. The mountain and its surroundings are located within the borders of Tsugaru Quasi-National Park.GeologyMount 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 has frequently been 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 a total of 18 telemetering stations on the mountain since 1981.Climbing Mount IwakiThe summit, at 1625 meters, can be reached only by hiking, but the length of the hike depends on the route. From, it takes approximately four hours to hike to the top. The trail starts from inside the shrine, before the large gates on the left. The easier and more popular route follows a road up to a ski lift. The skyline road starts from Highway 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.