Onward and upward: Climbers hike toward the summit of Mount Ontake on July 29 after an entry ban on a popular trail is lifted for the first time since a deadly eruption there in 2014. (Video by Takahiro Kumakura)

Photo/Illutration Climbers aiming to reach the summit of Mount Ontake in central Japan walk toward the Kengamine peak along the Haccchodarumi ridge on July 29 as trails reopened for the first time since an eruption in 2014 claimed dozens of lives. (Kazushige Kobayashi)

A popular hiking trail that leads directly to the summit of Mount Ontake in central Japan is now open to climbers for the first time since a volcanic eruption nine years ago left dozens dead or missing.

Access was also lifted July 29 for another trail that winds its way near the summit of the 3,067-meter-high volcano that straddles the borders of Nagano and Gifu prefectures.

One trail is the Hacchodarumi ridge, which connects the 2,936-meter Otaki peak to the highest Kengamine peak. Many of the 58 climbers killed in the 2014 disaster perished along this trail. Five others are still listed as missing.

The other trail is the Ninoike-traverse, which connects the middle of the Hacchodarumi ridge to the Kiso town side.

Authorities of Otaki village at the foot of the volcano lifted the ban after determining that adequate safety measures had been taken to protect climbers from falling ash deposits. The steps include the construction of two evacuation shelters near the Hacchodarumi ridge.

Climbers can now walk the trails at any hour of the day if they wear hard hats and do not cross ropes set up on both sides of the pathway.

The climbing season is scheduled to run until 2 p.m. on Oct. 11.

Climbers have been allowed to reach the Kengamine peak from the Kiso town side since 2018.

But now, they can also ascend to the peak from the Otaki village side for the first time in nine years.

Entry bans on some other routes around the mountain summit remain in effect.

Climbing from the Otaki village side is popular because the summit can be reached in less than three hours from the parking lot at the seventh station of the mountain.

Despite the safety measures taken, concerns are still being voiced in the event of another major eruption.

“It would be physically difficult for everyone to take shelter if there is an eruption, which poses a significant risk,” said a member of “Yamabiko no kai” (mountain echo association), which was formed mainly by survivors of the volcanic disaster.

Nagano Governor Shuichi Abe held a news conference July 27 during which he heaped praise on the efforts of people from Kiso town and Otaki village in reopening trails such as the one at the Hacchodarumi ridge that “everyone has been waiting for.”

“While ensuring that we do not forget the lessons of the volcanic disaster, we want to continue to take measures so that many people can return to the trails,” he said.

(This article was written by Kimihiko Sato and Kazuki Endo.)

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