Mount Rishiri, Stratovolcano on Rishiri Island, Japan

Mount Rishiri is a stratovolcano that rises 1721 meters directly from the waters of the Sea of Japan, creating a near-perfect cone that shapes the entire profile of Rishiri Island. The slopes climb steeply from the coastline to the summit, with rocky terrain and alpine vegetation marking the upper sections.

The volcano formed during the Late Pleistocene around 130,000 years ago, gradually building the island through repeated eruptions. Its last eruption occurred around 5830 BC, and since then it has remained dormant.

The mountain's opening festival is held every year on July 2 and 3, officially starting the climbing season. It is also called Rishiri Fuji because its cone resembles Mount Fuji, and a picture of it appears on the packaging of Shiroi Koibito cookies.

Three trails climb the mountain: Oshidomari from the north, Kutsugata from the west and Oniwaki from the southeast, the last closed above the seventh station because of landslides. The Oshidomari route is the busiest and best maintained. There are no toilets on any trail, but Oshidomari and Kutsugata have booths for portable toilets, which hikers bring and carry out themselves.

The Kanro Spring is the only natural water source along the hiking trails, located just past the Rishiri Hokuroku Campground. Hikers regularly fill their bottles there before beginning the waterless climb to the summit.