Mount Omuro: a grassy volcano you can walk around
A perfectly round 580-metre volcano near Izu-Kogen: chairlift to the top, a one-kilometre crater rim walk and the February grass burning.
- Height
- 580 m
- Crater rim walk
- about 1 km, 20–30 min
- Yamayaki
- usually 2nd Sunday of February
Mount Omuro rises from the Izu-Kogen plateau like an upturned bowl: a 580-metre dormant volcano covered in grass, with no trees on its slopes. Walking up is not allowed, to protect the grass, so visitors ride a chairlift (about six minutes) to the summit.
The crater rim
At the top, a path of about one kilometre circles the crater, which is 250 to 300 metres across. The walk takes 20 to 30 minutes, with views over the Izu islands, the coast and, on clear days, Mount Fuji. An archery range sits in the bottom of the crater.
Yamayaki: the mountain burning
Every year, usually on the second Sunday of February, the dead grass on the slopes is set alight so that fresh grass can grow in spring. The tradition is said to go back about 700 years; the whole mountain burns black in a matter of minutes. It is often postponed for rain or snow.
Nearby
The lava from Omuro's eruption formed the Jogasaki coast. At the foot of the mountain, Sakura no Sato park is a cherry blossom spot in spring.
