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 SACRED SUMMITS

Volcanoes are creators and destroyers. They can  

shape lands and cultures, but can also cause great  

destruction and loss of life. Two of the bestknown examples are found at opposite ends of  

the world, on the Pacific Ring of Fire. 

Symbol of Japan 

It’s almost sunrise near the summit of Japan’s  

Mount Fuji. Exhausted climbers, many of  

whom have hiked the 3,776 meters through the  

night to reach this point, stop to watch as the  

sun begins spreading its golden rays across the  

mountain. For the climbers, this is an important  

moment. They have witnessed the dawn on  

Mount Fuji—the highest point in Japan. 

Mount Fuji is a sacred site. Japan’s native religion,  

Shintoism, considers Fuji a holy place. Other  

people believe the mountain and its waters have  

the power to make a sick person well. For many,  

climbing Fuji is also a rite of passage. Some do it  

as part of a religious journey; for others, it is a test  

of strength. Whatever their reason, reaching the  

top in order to stand on Fuji’s summit at sunrise is  

a must for many Japanese. Every July and August,  

hundreds of thousands attempt to do so. 

Fuji is more than a sacred site and tourist  

destination, however. It is also an active volcano  

around which four million people have settled,  

and it sits just 112 kilometers from the crowded  

streets of Tokyo. The last time Fuji erupted, in  

1707, it sent out a cloud of ash that covered the  

capital city and darkened the skies for weeks. 

Today, new information has some volcanologists  

concerned that Fuji may soon erupt again.  

According to Motoo Ukawa and his associates  

at the National Research Institute for Earth  

Science and Disaster Prevention, there has  

been an increase in activity under Fuji recently.  

This activity may be caused by low-frequency  

earthquakes. Understanding what causes these  

quakes may help scientists predict when Fuji will  

come back to life. In the meantime, locals living  

near Fuji hold special festivals each year to offer  

gifts to the goddess of the volcano—as they have  

for generations—so that she will not erupt and  

destroy the land and its  

people below.