lake Toya

Another fun trip to 7-11 for breakfast and camping supplies before we headed off on a scenic drive over the mountains to Lake Toya. 

With rain forecast for the afternoon we headed straight to the Mt uzu ropeway (gondola) to see the view of the lake and of the crater. Mt Uzu erupted 5 times in the 20th century (1910, 1944, 1977, 2000) and each time has changed the landscape. 

Mt Showa-Shinzan (above) rose up from nothing over 6 months in 1944. The local post master recorded it and earned himself a statue.

In 1977 the fumes reached 12000m, higher than we've flown on this trip. 

Thankfully each time there's been plenty of volcanic warning signs and the local population was evacuated. 

Once up the top, we of course opted for the full outer rim crater walk which was well worth the effort, even with the rain.