Hakkōda Mountains

An active volcanic complex in south-central Aomori Prefecture, inside Towada-Hachimantai National Park and listed collectively among the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains. The highest peak, Mount Ōdake, reaches 1,585 metres, some 21.3 kilometres southeast of central Aomori. Fourteen stratovolcanoes and lava domes make up the complex in two groups: the northern one rises from the rim of an eight-kilometre-wide caldera dating to the Pleistocene, and the southern group predates the caldera altogether. The mountains are part of the Ōu Mountains and of the Northeastern Japan Arc, a segment of the Pacific Ring of Fire, and they offer extensive backcountry skiing in winter and early spring.