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active volcanoes smoking hell valleys
and large caldera lakes all the signs of
a volcanically active region that has
existed for many millennia
one such place that contains all of
these is the volcanically active
shikotitoya national park in
southwestern hokkaido which still
continues to build upon its geological
history
the national park is named after
shikotsuko and toyaco two large caldera
lakes surrounded by active volcanoes
my name is rayna ong reporting for
japanguy.com and in this video we'll be
going on an overnight trip walking on
volcanoes
observing smoking craters in hell
valleys and seeing first hand the
destruction of an eruption
here's the plan on day one we pick up a
rental car and start our journey in the
shikotsuko area which is less than an
hour by car from sapporo the capital of
hokkaido we'll spend the first half of
the day hiking on mount tarumai before
driving about an hour west to
noboribetsu we will visit ahel valley
and spend the night in hot spring town
there
day two will be in the toyago area where
we'll visit some major sites relating to
mount usu yet another active volcano
we'll take a rope way up on the
mountain's eastern side and see a newly
formed mountain then move to the western
side to see the remains and ruins from
its last eruption in 2000
so follow along as we go on an overnight
road trip exploring the active volcanoes
in the shikotsutoya national park
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day one
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mount tarumai which is located at the
southern end of lake shikotsu was formed
about 10 000 years ago after a large
scale eruption
the mountain's current shape with an
outer rim and a lava dome in the center
is the result of eruptions over the
centuries
mount tarumai is ranked as one of
japan's most active volcanoes and its
most recent eruption was in 1981 just 40
years ago
it's not every day that you get to hike
on an active volcano and i'm here at the
start of the trailhead to taruwaizan and
i'm gonna sign in before heading further
in
hiking on mount tarumaya does not
require any special mountaineering or
hiking equipment and as such is suitable
for beginner or casual hikers
but note that it is best to be
adequately prepared with sturdy shoes
wet or cold weather gear and drinking
water
we're just five minutes from the
starting point and look at the view
the trailhead is located about seven
tenths up the mountain and the hike
starts through a forest which quickly
thins out and the landscape becomes
almost barren save for some seasonal
flowers
atop the crater the barren landscape and
smoking vents can make one imagine that
they're on another world
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i made it to the top of mount tarumai at
1022 meters
everything has been excellent the views
along the way the rocky trails and that
view behind me
as entering the craters prohibited due
to poisonous volcanic gases i continued
my walk of the outer rim while enjoying
the view of the lava dome and the
surroundings before heading back down to
my rental car and moving on to my next
destination
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well that was a super hike now i'm back
in my car and i'm headed to noboribetsu
which is about an hour from here
nobody bits is the most famous hot
spring town in hokkaido
local folklore has it that the area is
protected by scary-looking demon-like
gods who live in the hell valley
these guards place nine clubs from which
nine heavenly springs arose and nobody
better to protect the earth from harm
and bring prosperity
now these nine springs relate to the
nine different types of hot spring
waters that can be found in noboribetsu
the chikokudani ohio valley is nobody
betsy's most iconic site situated at the
northern end of the hot spring town
behind me is the hell valley or
jigokudani and nobody better and this is
where the hot spring goodness comes from
the smell of sulphur gets stronger the
closer you get
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two
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from the hal valley there are walking
trails leading into the forested hills
above into a sulphuric hot water pond
which feeds a natural riverside footpath
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it doesn't get more natural than this
foot bath in the river
i'm gonna just sit here and enjoy it for
a while
after that nice relaxing foot bath i
head to my accommodation in the hot
spring town to wind down for the day
i hear that the baths and my
accommodation are quite impressive and
i'm ready to try them out before dinner
this is my dinner at the hotel where i'm
staying at and we've got seasonal
vegetables seafood as well as local
favorites like crab
now it may look like a lot of food but i
think i can finish everything after all
their walking today so itadakimasu and
goodbye
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day two
today i'm headed to lake toya which is
about an hour away and i'll be going via
the otofure mountain pass
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lake toya was formed over a hundred
thousand years ago and it is the third
largest caldera lake in japan
and its northern end stands the
symmetrical mount yote which bears a
resemblance to mount fuji
and at its southern end the active
volcanoes mount usu and showa shinzon
the lake is a popular tourist
destination in hokkaido all year round
and toyoko onsen a pleasant hot
springtown with many hotels can be found
at its southern end
mount usu along with mount tarumai is
ranked as one of the most active
volcanoes in japan its most recent major
eruption was back in 2000
the mountain is also responsible for the
birth of the neighbouring showa shinzon
and the source of the hot spring waters
for nearby toyago onsen
my day in the toyago area starts at the
usazan ropeway on the eastern side of
mount usu
right beside the ropeway station is
showa shinzan one of the youngest
mountains in japan
the mountain was pushed at a flat
farmland over a period of two years of
multiple earthquakes and eruptions from
1943 to 1945 and is still constantly
venting fumarolic gases today
the usosan ropeway takes me from the
bottom of mount usu to near the top
where there are a few observation decks
and hiking trails
i'm at the observation deck at the top
of the ropeway station and as you can
see behind me the view is simply amazing
i've got showa shinzon behind me and
lake toya to my right
from there it is a short walk to the
second observation deck to see the
smoking craters on mount usu
the uzor crater observatory where i'm at
right now is only a few minutes walk
from the upper ropeway station here you
get to see the large crater which was
made when the mountain erupted in 1977
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as an active volcano mount usu is
monitored for potential eruptions
residents living in the vicinity also
live with the knowledge that they have
to be prepared to evacuate at a moment's
notice
it is with this readiness and
preparedness that resulted in zero
fatalities in the last eruption in 2000
despite the pyroclastic surge spewing
ashen rocks and fires causing great
damage to structures
the western side of mount usu was where
the last eruption occurred and walking
trails allow visitors to see the damage
up close
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i start with a visit to the toyago
visitor center at the trailhead to learn
more about volcanic activity in the area
my walk begins from behind the visitor
center and i arrive at the preserved
ruins in no time it is recommended to
set aside about three to four hours to
see everything on the trails at a
comfortable pace
i'm about 10 to 15 minutes away on foot
from the center of the hot spring town
and this area where i'm in is where you
can see the remains of the buildings
which were damaged by the eruption in
2000
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from the ruins near the visitor center
the trail leads into a forested area
where the craters formed from the
eruption in 2000 can be seen
and continues to another area where the
aftermath of the same eruption has been
left as it is
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i can't even begin to imagine what it
must have been like living here having
to evacuate and then returning to
destruction i mean this used to be a
road
i press on the trail this time passing
distorted roads smoking vents and other
preserved structural ruins before
reaching the kindergarten at the end
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do
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i'm so glad that nobody died in the
eruption in 2000. look at the damage
caused to the kindergarten
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i found the contrast between the
pleasant hot spring town along the
shores of lake toya and the ruins and
reality of a volcanic eruption to be
very real it was a good reminder of the
powerful energy in the earth and it is
the same energy that gives us the good
things like fantastic hiking
opportunities scenic views and vistas
and hot spring baths to relax in
and that was our overnight trip to the
shikotsutoya national park thanks for
joining me i hope this video has been
enjoyable and perhaps even inspire some
ideas should you decide to plan an
overnight trip to a national park
for more information about this trip or
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