Qualla: Mount Azuma-kofuji

Mount Azuma-kofuji: Introduction

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Σ64, CC BY 3.0. Every spring, the people of Fukushima City look west toward the Azuma mountain range and wait for a rabbit. As snow melts from the flanks of Mount Azuma-kofuji, a white hare-shaped patch emerges on the dark volcanic slopes -- the 'seeding rabbit,' a natural signal that winter has released its grip and the farming season can begin. It is a fitting bit of poetry for a mountain whose very name is an act of admiration. 'Kofuji' means 'Little Fuji,' and from almost any angle the resemblance is uncanny: a lone, symmetrical cone rising to 1,707 meters, its wide crater yawning 500 meters across and 70 meters deep, a miniature replica of Japan's most sacred peak set among the wild highlands of Tohoku.

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Image: Σ64 | CC BY 3.0

Mount Azuma-kofuji: A Restless Landscape

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Σ64, CC BY 3.0. Mount Azuma-kofuji is one peak within the broader Azuma volcanic group, a cluster of stratovolcanoes straddling the border between Fukushima and Yamagata prefectures inside Bandai-Asahi National Park. The Japan Meteorological Agency monitors the mountain continuously; fumaroles h...

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Image: Σ64 | CC BY 3.0

Mount Azuma-kofuji: The Skyline Above the Clouds

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Altomarina, CC BY-SA 3.0. The Bandai-Azuma Skyline, a 28.7-kilometer mountain road selected as one of the 100 Best Roads in Japan, threads its way through the Azuma range at elevations up to 1,622 meters. Unlike many of Japan's scenic toll roads, this one is free. The midpoint is Jododaira, a sub-alpine p...

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Image: Altomarina | CC BY-SA 3.0

Mount Azuma-kofuji: Steam and Hot Water

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Brian Adler 10:14, 1 July 2007 (UTC), Public domain. Volcanic heat makes itself useful in the Azuma range. Fumaroles vent sulfurous steam at several points along the ridgeline, and the geothermal energy feeds a network of onsen -- hot spring baths -- scattered through the valleys below. The combination of accessible volcanic scener...

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Image: Brian Adler 10:14, 1 July 2007 (UTC) | Public domain

Mount Azuma-kofuji: The Rabbit Returns

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit 水村亜里 from Fukushima, Jpan, CC BY-SA 2.0. The snow rabbit of Mount Azuma-kofuji is not a legend or a folk tale -- it is a reliable meteorological event, one that farmers have watched for across centuries. As spring warmth eats away at the snowpack, exposed rock and vegetation form the outline of a crouching hare against ...

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Image: 水村亜里 from Fukushima, Jpan | CC BY-SA 2.0