Mount Mihara

Did you know that Tokyo is one of a few megacities in the world that has its very own active volcano and Japan’s only desert? And that the last time this volcano erupted was just recently in 1990? Now did you know that Tokyo also features not one but a total of 11 islands that stretch up to 1000km away from Tokyo’s center? Today we would like to share with you some amazing facts with videos of Mount Mihara, Tokyo’s very own volcano and it’s surrounding desert! Indeed according to Japanese scientists, the surrounding area of Mount Mihara, named Ura-Sabaku is technically Japan’s only desert and it happens to be located in… Tokyo prefecture!

Mount Mihara is located on the island of Izu Oshima, the official, yet the very confusing name of Oshima island. Confusing since Izu peninsula is just at a spitting distance from Oshima island. Izu peninsula is in fact not located in Tokyo prefecture but rather in Shizuoka prefecture. Mount Mihara is an active volcano that erupts every 100 years or so with the last major eruption in 1986 followed by a smaller one in 1990. Mount Mihara is also famous for being the official place of birth of Godzilla, as well as being used in the novel Ring where the mother of Sadako, predicted that Mount Mihara would someday erupt using her psychic abilities!

Finally, tragically Mount Mihara saw a wave of 944 suicides from 1933 up to 1936. A student named Kiyoko Matsumoto was forbidden to see her lover, Masako Tomita. She decided to end her life by jumping into the crater of Mount Mihara. This motivated others to choose Mount Mihara as their location of choice to end their lives as well.

Quite a lot to digest right? Well yes indeed, but Mount Mihara, its desert and the island of Oshima, located just 2hrs away from Shinagawa by boat are a fantastic set of places if you want to enjoy nature, and calm after a crazy week roaming Tokyo’s ultra-crowded streets.