Mount Iwaki, Stratovolcano in Hirosaki and Ajigasawa, Japan
Mount Iwaki is a stratovolcano in Hirosaki and Ajigasawa, Aomori Prefecture, with its summit reaching 1625 meters (5331 feet). This andesite cone shows three separate peaks around a summit crater roughly two kilometers (1.2 miles) wide.
The last recorded eruption took place on March 23, 1863, reshaping the local geology permanently. Since then, the volcano has shown no signs of further activity.
The mountain earned the name Tsugaru Fuji due to its resemblance to Mount Fuji and holds a position among the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains.
The trail from Iwakiyama Shrine to the summit takes about four hours, starting inside the shrine before the large gates on the left. The Tsugaru Iwaki Skyline toll road runs from Aomori Prefecture Route 3 to the eighth station, where a chairlift covers part of the ascent; from the lift top, the summit is a 30–40 minute hike.
The Michinoku primrose (Primula nipponica subsp. michinoku), a local endemic related to the Hakusan primrose but with larger flowers, grows along the trails, notably around the small pond called Tanemaki Naedai just below the Hōmei emergency hut on the Hyakuzawa route. It is not confined to one spot.
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