Fugendake 普賢岳

Once the highest peak of Mt. Unzen , Fugendake lost its supremacy when Heisei Shinzan, one of Japan's most recently formed mountains and active volcanos, appeared and surpassed Fugendake by 100 meters.

After a volcanic eruption in 1990, the mountain trail Fugendake is famous for was closed. In recent years, however, a new trail has been opened, dubbed the New Unzen-Fugendake mountain trail. A favorite among visitors, it offers a close view of Heisei Shinzan as well as a stunning lookout over the Ariake Sea.

You can reach Fugendake by car or bus and then ascend by ropeway.

To hike the Fugendake trail, visitors can take a car or a bus to Nita Toge pass. From there, you can ride the Unzen ropeway, which leads you part way up the mountain to the upper ropeway station, where you begin your trek up Fugendake.

Mt. Unzen's volcanic soil is rich; hence, the plant growth here includes various rare species that have earned the mountain special protection from the national government. Rich with an array of flora and fauna, you can see the landscape change in color and fragrance with the seasons.

Since the early eighth century, all of Mt. Unzen has been venerated as a sacred mountain by the practitioners of Shugendo, an exclusively Japanese religion.