# Mount Ontake

> A 3,067-meter active volcano on the Nagano and Gifu border, the second-highest volcano in Japan after Fuji. The 2014 eruption killed 58 climbers and 5 remain missing; the summit area now opens only for a summer season, usually from early July to mid-October. The Ontake Ropeway lifts you to the seventh station at 2,150 meters.

- Prefecture: Nagano
- Type: Mountain
- Address: Kiso, Nagano, Japan
- Official site: https://www.town-kiso.com/bousai/bousai/100378/101704/

Mount Ontake is an active volcano, and the trails show it. At 11:52 on Saturday, September 27, 2014, a steam-driven eruption struck the summit area while it was crowded with autumn hikers. Fifty-eight people died and five are still missing, the worst volcanic disaster in Japan since the war. Since then, ground within about 1 km of the crater has been closed for most of the year. In recent seasons the routes to the top have opened from early July to mid-October, and even then the way toward Okunoin and the Ohachi-meguri circuit around the crater stay closed. The Ontake Ropeway does the first 580 meters: about 15 minutes in a six-seat gondola from 1,570 meters to Iimori Kogen station, at the seventh station of the Kurosawa trail. From there it is about 900 more meters of climbing to Kengamine, 3,067 meters. Climbers must file a climbing plan, and helmets are requested; the ropeway rents them. Long before it was a hike, this was a mountain of worship. Kakumei opened the Kurosawa trail in 1785 and Fukan the Otaki trail in 1792, and Ontake-ko pilgrim groups still climb behind their leaders. It became Ontake Quasi-National Park on April 10, 2026.

## FAQ

### Can I climb to the summit of Mount Ontake?

Only during the summer opening. In recent years Kiso Town and Otaki Village have opened the trails to Kengamine from early July to mid-October; outside that period the area within about 1 km of the crater is closed. Trails close in rain or bad weather, so check the town's and village's notices before you go.

### What happened in the 2014 eruption?

On September 27, 2014, at 11:52, a steam-driven eruption hit the summit area on a busy autumn Saturday. Fifty-eight people died and five are still missing, the worst volcanic disaster in postwar Japan. Shelters have since been built along the reopened trails.

### How do I get to the Ontake Ropeway, and what does it cost?

Take the Ontake Kotsu bus from JR Kiso-Fukushima Station (1,500 yen one way) or drive up the toll-free Ontake Blue Line to the free car park. The ropeway is 2,600 yen return or 1,400 yen one way for adults and takes about 15 minutes to Iimori Kogen station at 2,150 meters.

### What do I need to bring?

A helmet, because of rockfall and the volcano; the ropeway rents 40 of them for a fee. You must also submit a climbing plan, and the Japan Meteorological Agency asks climbers to watch for sudden ash emissions from the Jigokudani crater on the southwest side of Kengamine.

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Source: Mount Ontake — Japan Voyage