The whole Owakudani valley district that attracts visitors with its sulfur vents and geothermal hot springs was out of reach of tourists since May, 19 when the Meteorological Agency raised the alert level for Mount Hakone to 2 on its 5-point scale and prohibited travellers to approach the crater.
While restrictions on entry were lifted on October 7 after the alert level was lowed to 1, the mountain, though basically safe, retained potential for volcanic activity and the authorities did not recommend visiting the site as volcanic gas detectors were broken by Typhoon Hagibis.
Last Friday, more than a month after the restriction were lifted, the town of Hakone finally decided to reopen the Owakudani area for visitors with gas detectors fixed. While several walking routes are still closed, the major part of the area is ready to welcome visitors between 9 am and 5 pm daily. The ropeway to to Owakudani Station resumed operating in late October.
Mount Hakone Reopens After Volcanic Activity Alert
News in Asia
Mount Hakone, a complex volcano in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan and a popular tourist site reopens after a six-month closure caused by an increase in the volcanic alert level in the hot spring resort area.