Japan is a country with high frequency of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and Mt. Fuji, which straddles Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures, is one of the largest active volcanoes in the upper region, threatening the safety of the people around it at all times.
Located on the Pacific coast of Japan, about 80 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, Mt. Fuji was formed around 286 BC due to the squeezing uplift of the Eurasian and Pacific plates.
The most recent eruption was in 1707 (4 years in Hoei, Japan), caused by a magnitude 8.6 earthquake in Hoei 49 days before the eruption, and volcanic earthquakes and smoke can still be observed continuously, and it is generally believed that there is still a possibility of future eruptions.
Since 781 AD, Mount Fuji has erupted 18 times, the most recent of which was in 1707.
From the satellite map, we can see that because of the certain danger of Mt. Fuji, the surrounding city is built around Mt. Fuji, and it is very far away.
The main peak of Mt. Fuji reaches a height of 3776 meters, and the high altitude causes the peak to be cold, so it is not surprising that there is snow all year round.
Why is Mount Fuji always clouded with smoke?
That's because Mt. Fuji is an active volcano, the internal temperature is relatively high, and the altitude of Mt. Fuji is relatively high, and the temperature is relatively low, and when cold air and hot air meet, vaporization occurs, so clouds are swirling for many years.
Who would have thought that this seemingly "calm" "snowy mountain" is hidden in danger.
However, even though it has brought many disasters to people, Mt. Fuji is still known as "Sacred Mountain" by the Japanese people for its unique beauty.
Mt. Fuji is a typical layered volcano that, in terms of shape, belongs to the standard cone volcano with a unique and beautiful silhouette.
Satellite image of the summit
So far, Mt. Fuji can be roughly divided into four stages in the process of mountain formation:
Sakikomi-dake, Komi-dake, Ko-Fuji, Shin-Fuji
Historically, about 11,000 years ago, a large amount of lava began to erupt from the west side of the summit of Ancient Fuji.
These lavas formed the new Fuji, the main body of what is now Mt. Fuji.
About 2500 to 2800 years ago, the summit of ancient Fuji was partially weathered, causing a large-scale landslide, and eventually only the summit of New Fuji remained.
If the true face of Mt. Fuji is exposed, just thinking about it makes people shudder.
After the 9.0 magnitude earthquake in Japan in 2011, the discussion that "Mt. Fuji may erupt again" was extremely intense.
It wasn't until 11 years later, in 2022, that the news that Mt. Fuji will erupt again reaches its climax.
Because considering that Mt. Fuji may be "threatening", the government has planned the towns and cities to be farther away.
It is also because it is at the foot of Mt. Fuji, and the surrounding towns are also named after Mt. Fuji:
Fujiyoshida, Fuji Song, Fuji...
When we think of Japan, we can all think of the famous Mt. Fuji, but the best place to see Mt. Fuji is Lake Kawaguchi, about 17km north of Mt. Fuji.
In between, there are a few woodlands that look like some kind of writing and are very messy.
If you look closely, it is not difficult to find that Japan looks empty, but it is actually very crowded.
Outside of the vast expanse of green space, the town appears densely packed, because heavy polluting industries have always been opened abroad, and the environment in Japan has always been very good.
Due to the continuous earthquakes, most of the houses in Japan use wooden structures, and the houses are built very low, which can reduce the losses caused by the earthquake to a certain extent, so there are no high-rise buildings, and the houses are crowded together like a net.
In terms of earthquake prevention, Japan, which has been hit by earthquakes, has done a very good job.
When you think of Lake Kawaguchi and Mt. Fuji, you can't help but think of the beautiful cherry blossoms.
But although the cherry blossom is the "national flower" of Japan, it actually originated in China.
According to the authoritative Japanese work "Sakura Dajian", cherry blossoms are native to the Himalayas, and after being cultivated artificially, they gradually spread to the Yangtze River Basin of China, southwest China and the island of Taiwan.
During the Qin and Han dynasties, the imperial family of the imperial court has planted cherry blossoms, which have a cultivation history of more than 2,000 years, and in the Tang Dynasty, from the palace garden corridor to the folk house field, there are brilliant cherry blossoms everywhere.
At that time, when all the countries came to the dynasty, Japan deeply admired the brilliance of Chinese culture, and the cherry blossoms were brought back by Japanese worshippers along with the architecture and clothing.
Although there are more than 2,000 species of plants on mount Fuji, there are no cherry blossoms.
If you've always thought that Mt. Fuji is the property of the Japanese state, you're dead wrong!
In fact, Mt. Fuji is private property.
The mountain first belonged to the Tokugawa shogunate, and later Tokugawa Ieyasu donated Mt. Fuji to the Asama Shrine in 106, and its ownership was nationalized for some time after the Meiji Restoration.
Asama Shrine is about 50 km from Mt. Fuji.
Although they are far apart, Mt. Fuji can still be seen at Asama Shrine.
After being nationalized, it was not until 2004 that the Japanese government returned the land above mt. Fuji 3,360 meters to The Asama Shrine, and the Japanese government still needs to pay rent to the shrine every year.
The news that Mt. Fuji is about to erupt has been coming up since the beginning of 2022, and it is indeed well-founded, as the number of earthquakes in its vicinity has been increasing, large and small.
If Mount Fuji had actually erupted, it would have been the largest natural disaster japan has ever seen.
Looking at Mt. Fuji from another angle, behind the beauty is a terrifying face.
Human beings seem so small in the face of nature that we cannot prevent it from happening, but we can do our best to reduce losses.