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left the hot spring inn in a hurry, not wanting the staff to
wait by the car for too long. We quickly drove to the same 7-11
store where we stocked up yesterday, set the satnav, and headed
off again... After a little over half an hour of driving, we
arrived at Mt Ômuro (大室山, or Ômuroyama).
As we got out of the car, the weather had already turned; a
light drizzle was falling, but our sightseeing plans had to
continue. |
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Mt Ômuro is located in the eastern part of the Izu Peninsula, in
the Izu Kôgen (伊豆高原, literally 'Izu Highland') area of Itô city (伊東市),
roughly 7.8 km in a straight line from Itô station. It erupted
around 4,000 years ago, forming what is now the Izu Kôgen and
the Jôgasaki coastline (城ヶ崎海岸). The mountain itself is a scoria cone
created by volcanic cinders accumulating around the vent.
Because it has preserved the original scoria cone shape so well,
it holds great geological value. Mt Ômuro is a monogenetic
volcano (one that only erupts once) and is classified as
extinct, so it's completely safe for visitors. |
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Mt Ômuro is one of only four volcanic structures in Japan designated as
Natural Monuments of Japan (国の天然記念物). The other three are: Shôwa Shinzan
(昭和新山, a lava dome) on the southern shore of Lake Tôya in Hokkaidô,
Heisei Shinzan (平成新山, also a lava dome) at Mt Unzen in Kyûshû, and
Ichinomegata (一の目潟, a maar lake) in Oga city, Akita Prefecture. Mt Ômuro
is the first and only Natural Monument with the term 'scoria cone' in
its name. |
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Lower chairlift station |
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Taking an uncovered chairlift in the drizzle |
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The only way to ascend Mt Ômuro is by chairlift. A return ticket for
adults costs JP¥1,000, and the ride takes about six minutes. In front of
the lower station stands a large torii gate – naturally, where there's a
torii, there's a shrine (jinja). Like many volcanoes across Japan, Mt
Ômuro has its own Sengen Jinja (浅間神社). |
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Within the crater at the top of the mountain is an archery range, which
charges separately and is only open to high school students and older.
The fee is JP¥500 per hour, plus an equipment charge of JP¥2,000, which
includes one bow and five arrows. The range closes during high winds,
poor visibility, or if a heatstroke warning is issued. |
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Archery range inside the crater |
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In fact, the best time to appreciate Mt Ômuro is in spring or summer,
when the mountain is covered in lush greenery and resembles a giant
'crème matcha'. However, during our visit, the mountain had turned a
dusty brown, giving the appearance of a 'crème caramel' instead – a
different kind of beauty. |
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| The grass had dried and yellowed, which meant it was nearly
time for 'yamayaki' (山焼き, controlled burning). The mountain owes it
well-preserved scoria cone shape and vivid spring greenery to
this tradition, which dates back over 700 years. The
ritual usually takes place on the second Sunday of February each
year, when all the dry grass on the mountain is set ablaze in
one go. Traditionally, it was a ritual to drive away evil
spirits, offer prayers, and welcome spring. From a modern
perspective, it also serves the purpose of clearing dead grass
and pests, encouraging fresh growth in the spring. |
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Sengen Jinja (or Asama Jinja) are generally dedicated to
volcanoes, but unlike most, which enshrine Konohanasakuya-hime (木花開耶姫),
the Sengen Jinja on Mt Ômuro is dedicated to her elder sister,
Iwanaga-hime (磐長姫). According to legend, the heavenly descendant
Ninigi-no-Mikoto (瓊瓊杵尊, reputed ancestor of the emperors) fell in love
with the beautiful Konohanasakuya-hime at first sight. Her father, Ôyamatsumi
(大山津見), offered both his daughters in marriage. Konohanasakuya-hime was
beautiful but had a short life; Iwanaga-hime was less attractive but
lived long and was resilient. Ninigi-no-Mikoto chose only the younger
sister and rejected the elder one. This is said to be why Japanese
emperors are believed to have shorter lifespans. |
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Iwanaga-hime was already pregnant when she was rejected. She built a
birthing hut out of thatched grass on the summit of Mt Ômuro and ordered
it to be set alight. Inside the blazing hut, she gave birth to three
deities. As a result, the Sengen Jinja on Mt Ômuro is now a famous place
to pray for safe childbirth and long life. |
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At the top, the rain grew heavier and the wind stronger – the
temperature dropped considerably! I bought a cup of ginger tea
from the hilltop shop and took a short break. This wasn't an
instant mix but a proper infusion made with slices of fresh
ginger. |
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| The original crater at the summit is 300 metres in diameter,
and the path around it is about one kilometre long – a full
circuit takes around 20-30 minutes. We had planned to walk the
entire loop, but the weather simply didn't allow it! We took
advantage of a lighter drizzle to quickly step out and snap a
few panoramic shots, then headed back down. |
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Rain again on the way down – across from us is
the Gold Kawana Country Club |
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| On a clear day, Mt Ômuro offeres views of Mt Fuji and even
Yokohama Landmark Tower and Tokyo Skytree in the distances.
Today, however, all we could see was a blanket of grey! At the
lower part of Ômuro are two shops and a small cafe, with
slightly different offerings from the hilltop shop. After a
quick browse, we went off for lunch. |
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| While planning the trip, Todd had specifically asked to have
steak teppanyaki at least once, so I arranged for today's lunch
to be at Steak House Kanai (ステーキハウス金井) in the Ômuro Kôgen area.
There's also another branch near Odawara station. |
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Most of the furniture inside is handmade |
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| It's less than a ten-minutes drive from Mt Ômuro. As soon as
we stepped inside, a female 'staff member' greeted us – we were
the only customers at the time. The restaurant is a detached
two-storey house; the ground floor houses the Steak House Kanai,
and the upper floor is the World Gallery, run by the same owner,
which showcases and sells handmade furniture. Most of the dining
tables, chairs, and display cabinets used in the restaurant come
from their World Gallery. |
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Seating is divided into dining tables and a counter, as in most
teppanyaki restaurants. Since we were the only guests, we could
choose freely – we opted for the counter seats to enjoy watching
the chef in action. |
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| Once seated, the 'staff member' brought over the menu.
Options included a course menu, a set menu, or à la carte. The
course included a starter, entrée, vegetables, main (steak),
staple, soup, dessert, and tea. Adding Ise lobster to the course
bumped up the price by around JP¥5,000. The set menu was
simpler, with a starter, main, staple, soup, ice-cream, and tea. |
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We both went for the course without the lobster. For steak, I chose
Chateaubriand from Ashitaka beef (from Shizuoka prefecture), priced at
JP¥18,300, while Todd chose sirloin from Enshû Yumemizaki beef, a winner
of the Prime Minister's Award, price at JP¥19,300. After placing our
orders, the 'staff member' returned – this time carrying the ingredients
and cooking right before us! As it turns out, she wasn't just staff, but
the chef herself. I was clearly in the presence of a master and hadn't
realised it! |
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My extra order: Yuzu soda |
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My Ashitaka's Chateaubriand |
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Todd's Enshû Yumemizaki's sirloin |
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Garlic rice (extra JP¥360, plain white rice is
free) |
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| After the meal, the chef invited us to visit the World
Gallery upstairs. It featured a variety of handcrafted
furniture, as well as fountain pens and ball pens made from
premium wood. The actual shop assistant (this time not the
chef!) told us that all the items could be shipped directly to
Hong Kong. However, the prices were a bit 'eye-watering' –
perhaps more display pieces than anything else – so I refrained
from taking photos. |
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| We left Steak House Kanai and drove to the Izu Shaboten Zoo
(伊豆シャボテン動物公園) opposite Mt Ômuro – yes, the famous one with
capybaras soaking in hot springs with a mandarin on their heads.
We parked the car (JP¥500 fee), but just as we were about to get
out, it began to pour. In the end, we scrapped the visit. After
all, it's hard to enjoy a zoo in heavy rain, even with umbrellas
– quite a pity. We decided to head to the next hot spring inn
instead. |
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Izu Kôgen tourists' station |
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Still raining after shopping |
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The parking fee went to waste, but we moved on toward Katase, where our
next hot spring inn was located. Not long after leaving Mt Ômuro, we
passed a roadside tourists' station – a 'tabi-no-eki' (旅の駅). As we had
time to spare, we popped in for a quick look... |
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