This conical volcano, 1,625 meters high, has three sharp peaks. Because of the multiple round craters on the summit and several explosion craters on the mountainside, it is difficult to mention this volcano as strictly being an ideal conical shape like Mt. Fuji. This still has occasionally erupted roughly every 100 years. Mt. Iwaki has long been an object of mountain worship since time immemorial, so the main building of Iwaki-yama Shinto Shrine is found on the mountainside as well as its branch shrine on the summit. These buildings of this shrine used to be the height of elegance thanks to the lavish donation of the Tsugaru clan, the feudal lord of Hirosaki, in the Edo period, from the 17th to 19th century, and still keeps the trace of the former prosperity. The annual festival of this shrine, held every summer, is the largest one in this province and is on the list of Important Intangible Folk-cultural Properties in Japan. The religious signification aside, this mountain has been developed as a tourist spot featuring hot-spring resorts, ski resorts and stunning views from an aerial tramway. Lastly, the picture shows the distant view of Mt. Iwaki from Hirosaki Castle.
Licensed tour guide, travel consultant,
Masahisa Takaki.
全国通訳案内士 高木聖久。
