火山館

Facility at about 2,000m, 2.3km from the crater of Mt. Asama, in Shiono, Miyota Town, Kitasaku District, Nagano Prefecture. Komoro City set it up as a base for nature conservation and accident prevention, and city staff are stationed there to advise climbers. It sits midway along the Kazankan course, which climbs from the Tengu Onsen Asama Sanso past the first and second torii up to Yu-no-Taira, and it has a flush, environmentally designed bio-toilet for hikers; because installation and upkeep are expensive, Komoro City asks for a contribution of about 300 yen. Helmets are lent free of charge, the space under the veranda serves as an eruption shelter, and a disaster-radio loudspeaker and a volcanic alert level notice board stand here, making it a linchpin of Mt. Asama's safety measures. Just below is Jigokudani, where sulphur hangs in the air and a red stream runs; along the way are Kamoshika-daira, where Japanese serow appear, Fudo Falls where ascetics are said to have practised, and scattered stone monuments and Buddhist figures from the mountain's religious tradition. The Kazankan course climbs about 700m from a trailhead at around 1,400m and takes roughly five hours round trip. The building is closed every Monday and Tuesday. Mt. Asama is an active volcano of 2,568m within Joshin'etsu-kogen National Park; the area open to climbers changes with the volcanic alert level, so checking the latest information and filing a climbing plan are required before setting out.