Meakandake

Introduction

At 1,499 metres, Meakan-dake is the active volcano of Akan-Mashu National Park and, with Oakan-dake and Akan-Fuji, part of the Akan volcanic group; Fukada Kyukaya made it one of the Hundred Famous Mountains of Japan. Its upper slopes are bare tephra and sulphur fumaroles, its middle slopes carry endemic alpine plants such as meakan-kimme and meakan-fusuma, and on a clear day the summit looks over Lake Akan, Onneto and the distant Shiretoko range. June's alpine flowers and October's foliage are the two finest windows. The restriction, however, has to come first: on 15 September 2025 the Japan Meteorological Agency raised the alert to level 2, closing a 500-metre zone around Pon-Machineshiri crater, cutting the Lake Akan route above the sixth station and both the Meakan Onsen and Onneto routes above the seventh. Volcanic earthquakes spiked to 127 in a single day in May 2026, and as of autumn 2026 all three trails still cannot reach the summit. This is not a mountain you can climb after a weather check, and any itinerary promising a walk to the fuming crater is out of date. What still works: the Takiguchi trailhead for Oakan-dake lies outside the zone and makes a six-hour return hike; the road and lakeside path at Onneto are open, with water that shifts through five colours and the best view of the volcano's eastern flank; and Akanko Onsen and Meakan Onsen operate as usual. Brown bears are seen often here, so carry a bell even for the lakeside stroll, and follow current JMA volcano information or ask Kushiro City rather than an old guidebook.

✨ Highlights

🛈 Practical Info