is an active

stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and peri ...

Fukushima prefecture Fukushima Prefecture (; ja, 福島県, Fukushima-ken, ) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Fukushima Prefecture has a population of 1,810,286 () and has a geographic area of . Fukushima Prefecture borders Miyagi ...

, Japan. It has a conical-shaped crater and as the name "Kofuji" (small

Mount Fuji , or Fugaku, located on the island of Honshū, is the highest mountain in Japan, with a summit elevation of . It is the second-highest volcano located on an island in Asia (after Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra), and seventh-highest ...

) suggests, the shape of Mount Azuma is like that of Mount Fuji. Mount Azuma's appealing symmetrical

crater Crater may refer to: Landforms * Impact crater, a depression caused by two celestial bodies impacting each other, such as a meteorite hitting a planet * Explosion crater, a hole formed in the ground produced by an explosion near or below the surf ...

and the nearby

fumarolic A fumarole (or fumerole) is a vent in the surface of the Earth or other rocky planet from which hot volcanic gases and vapors are emitted, without any accompanying liquids or solids. Fumaroles are characteristic of the late stages of volc ...

area with its many

onsen In Japan, are the country's hot springs and the bathing facilities and traditional inns around them. As a volcanically active country, Japan has many onsens scattered throughout all of its major islands. There are approximately 25,000 hot ...

have made it a popular tourist destination. The

Bandai-Azuma Skyline , also known as the , is a road in Fukushima Prefecture in the Tohoku region, of Honshu, Japan. It is managed by the . Opening in November 1959, the roadway was created to allow visitors to the Tohoku area sightseeing access to the Azuma Mountai ...

passes just below the crater, allowing visitors to drive to within walking distance of the crater and other various hiking trails on the mountain. There is also a visitor center along the roadway near the crater, where a collection of eateries, facilities, a parking lot, and a stop for buses from Fukushima Station are located. The Azuma

volcanic group A volcanic group is a stratigraphic group consisting of volcanic strata. They can be in the form of volcanic fields, volcanic complexes and cone A cone is a three-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a flat base (frequ ...

contains several volcanic lakes, including

Goshiki-numa , is a cluster of five volcanic lakes situated at the foot of Mount Bandai in the center of the lake district of Bandai-kōgen, Kitashiobara, Fukushima, Japan. Goshiki-numa formed when Mount Bandai erupted on July 15, 1888, destroying dozens o ...

, the 'Five Colored Lakes'. Each Spring, as the snow melts away, a white rabbit appears on the side of Mount Azuma. The melting snow shaped like a rabbit is known as the 'seeding rabbit' and signals to the people of Fukushima that the farming season has come.Takeda T.:''Fukushima - Today & Tomorrow'', page 12.

Notes

References

* * *

External links

*
Azumayama
- Japan Meteorological Agency * - Japan Meteorological Agency

- Geological Survey of Japan
Azumayama: Global Volcanism Program
- Smithsonian Institution Mountains of Fukushima Prefecture Volcanoes of Honshū Stratovolcanoes of Japan Active volcanoes Volcanic groups Volcanoes of Fukushima Prefecture {{volcano-stub

See also

Notes

References

External links