About: Mount Adatara (安達太良山, Adatara-yama) is a stratovolcano in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Its last known eruption was in 1996. An eruption in 1900 killed 72 workers at a sulfur mine located in the summit crater.
Volcano Blog: https://volcanicjapan.com/my-experience-guide?blog=y
Volcano Eruption Notices, Warnings & Information: https://volcanicjapan.com/
The mountain is actually multiple volcanoes forming a broad, forested massif. It abuts Mount Azuma, another active volcano to the north. The peak is called Minowa-yama. It is the highest peak in the Adatara range, which stretches about 9 km in a north-south direction.
The active summit crater is surrounded by hot springs and fumaroles. Sulfur mining was carried out in the 19th century, and 72 mine workers were killed in an eruption in 1900. Poems about Mount Adatara by Kōtarō Takamura from his book “Chieko-sho” helped make it famous. (Source: Wikipedia)
Geological Summary: The broad forested massif of Adatarayama volcano is located E of Bandai volcano, about 15 km SW of Fukushima city. It consists of a group of dominantly andesitic stratovolcanoes and lava domes that rise above Tertiary rocks on the south and abut Azumayama volcano on the north.
Construction took place in three main stages that began about 550,000, 350,000, and 200,000 years ago. The high point of the complex is 1728-m-high Minowasan, a dome-shaped stratovolcano north of Tetsuzan, the currently active stratovolcano. Numanotaira, the active summit crater, is surrounded by hot springs and fumaroles and is breached by the Iogawa river (“Sulfur River”) on the west. Historical eruptions have been restricted to the 1.2-km-wide, 350-m-deep Numonotaira crater. (Source: Global Volcanism Program)
My Experience: I arrived on the 14th of October having originally travelled from Takasaki (my seasonal home in Gunma) to Fukushima Station where I rented a car (Toyota Rental Car). The weather is a complete 180 degree change from 2022, where this year is noticeably warmer and wet, therefore my original plan to start in Hokkaido did not work due to rain in Hokkaido which means snow at higher elevations.
Instead, I opted to start back in Fukushima with Adatara 安達太良山 (Since I had hiked Bandai and Azuma in 2022). Parking for this hike and Trailhead is in the Adatarakogen Resort Parking lot here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/uywxwY2aJouH1wGz8
For this first hike of the season for me, while excited, I admittedly was a bit sluggish from a late night the prior evening with food and beverage so felt heavy especially with the heat. Additionally, I was testing alot of new gear (and added weight). I did NOT ride the ropeline up as shown in the AllTrails trail route, opting for a full physical hike instead however toward the end, I had exhausted all my liquids, was feeling a bit depleted and opted for the ropeway down.
The AllTrails route I hiked (image) is below and here is the actual trail route: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/afternoon-hike-c17028c-122?u=i&sh=dii5rh. The hike is 13.7 KM (8.513 Miles) with an 888 M (2,913 feet) elevation gain.
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