“Lave-bed of volcano Asama” (colorized), Karuizawa, c. 1920. (Gift of J. Harper Brady Sr.)

See also:
Mt. Asama, Karuizawa, c. 1930.
Karuizawa, c. 1920.
Climbing Mt. Hakuba (Shiro-uma-yama), Nagano, 1928.

“There many delightful walks, picnic and excursion points about Karuizawa, and it is one departure place for the climb up erratic Mt. Asama, which ‘with tolerable regularity blows out its rocky brains,’ as many have observed.”

– The Hot Springs of Japan (and Principal Cold Mineral Springs), Japan Government Railways, 1922

“The mountaineer Mt. Asama” (colorized), Karuizawa, c. 1920. (Gift of J. Harper Brady Sr.)

“Mt . Asama (8,184 ft.) – with a crater over 400 yds. in diameter – easily accessible, in Nagano Prefecture, not far from Karuizawa, ranks next to Aso-san as the largest active volcano in Japan.

Map: Mt. Asama (upper left) and Karuizawa (lower right). (From “Japan: The Official Guide”, 1941.)

“It is usually emitting smoke. Sometimes a strong explosion will project its smoke and ashes to a height of 4 or 5 miles above its summit, and as volcanic ash is acidic, it produces sulphuric acid when mingled with water, causing injury to crops and sericulture. In periods of great ash emission the Kanto farms near Asama are damaged, as are those near Yakedake in the Kiso district when that volcano is violent and at Aso in Kyūshū at times of great activity.

“… Among historical eruptions perhaps the most famous was that of Asama in 1783, the year of the great Calabrian earthquake and of volcanic activity in Iceland. Then the Asama ash was probably borne round the world.”

– The Hot Springs of Japan (and Principal Cold Mineral Springs), Japan Government Railways, 1922

An active Mt. Asama volcano and the nearby town of Karuizawa, c. 1920.