EBINO PLATEAU

Here at the highest point of the Kirishima area is a crater of 900m in diameter and a depth of 300m. From Ebino Plateau, the stout form of the mountain resembles a large tub. It is a mountain with a violent history, as seen in the giant rockfaces of the decaying crater. From the top of the mountain, you can see the whole of the Kirishima area with its many craters formed by volcanic activity. To the southeast are Mt. Shishiko, Mt. Shinmoe, Mt. Nakadake, Mt. Ohachi and Mt. Takachihonomine, the most famous peaks of the Kirishima area. Mt. Karakuni (which uses the same characters as those for Korea) is said to have been named after "Kara no Kuni" (the Korean peninsula) because it is so high, it afforded views all the way to Korea.

At an elevation of 1411m is a stunning crater lake of 1.9km circumference and 11m deep.
Onamino-ike is the site of the Onami legend.
The trail to the top runs through a forest of Japanese fir and southern Japanese hemlock, and the crater loop trail takes around 2 hours.

It is a 2-hour walk along the nature trail from Ebino Plateau. The Niko (Two Lakes) Panorama Observatory on the way up the mountain offers views of Lake Rokkannon-miike and Lake Byakushi-ike.

Located at the northeast of the Ebino Plateau. Mt. Koshiki's eastern flanks are covered in native forest such as Japanese fir. The coniferous forest is a designated national treasure. Just before the summit the trail is very steep, but the walking is otherwise easy. Coming down from the summit to the crater, a beautiful wetland vista reveals itself. There is also an hour-long trail that skirts the crater. At one point the trail offers a panorama of Ebino City as well as the Kakuto Caldera, which is at the northwest of the Kirishima area.

This peak is located at the east of Ebino Plateau, relatively close to the road.
The mountain has a yellow or sulfur-yellow hue, due to the emission of volcanic gases containing hydrogen sulfide and sulfites up to about 20 years ago.
From the Meiji period to the mid-1950s, sulfur was mined here for the production of matches, and the fume vents from the mining can still be seen today.
Vegetation is returning now that the volcanic gases have stopped venting.
In early summer, Kyushu azalea beautify the slopes of the mountain, making this a popular stop.
Due to the eruption in April, 2018, refrain from approaching the crater.

This mountain is renowned as the spot where the grandson of the Sun Goddess is said to have descended to earth from the heavens in the first stage of "Tenson korin," an episode in Shinto mythology. The mountain is expressive of the character of the Kirishima mountain range, in both its historical associations and the formation of the mountain itself. With vegetation scarce on the mountainside, the reddish-brown earth presents a constantly-changing panorama of color from morning to evening.
The summit of Mt. Takachihonomine features "Amanosakahoko," a legendary spear which features in the "Tenson korin" of Shinto mythology.
Over the New Year period, the peak of the mountain is busy with people who come to watch the first sunrise of the new year from the summit.
The mountain is also a much-loved spot in early summer, when its slopes are bright with flowering azalea.

Located to the north of Mt. Kirishima, this mountain is covered with forests. Known as "Ikoma-Fuji" due to its beautiful conical shape in deepest green when viewed from Kobayashi City, Mt. Ikomafuji has been renowned for its beauty since ancient times. From the summit, the Kirishima mountain range can be glimpsed between the trees. The footpath leading from the summit to Mt. Maruokayama is planted with beeches and Japanese oaks; the beauty of the fresh green leaves and autumn foliage along this path make this a much-loved spot.

This mountain is located to the northwest of Mt. Nakadake, rising up roughly in the center of the Kirishima mountain range.
An almost perfectly circular crater, 750m across and 180m deep, lies at the top of the mountain. This crater was once home to an emerald-green crater lake (150m from side to side, 30m deep) which used to be a popular attraction, but which no longer exists since the eruption that took place on 26 January 2011 (the first eruption to take place in nearly 300 years since the "Kyoho eruption" of 1716-1717 in the mid-Edo period).
The footpath leading to Mt. Shinmoe is currently off-limits due to volcanic activity.

565m across and 14m deep.
The near-perfect circular crater was formed by an explosive eruption.
A low hill of pyroclastic deposits has formed the round shape of a crater (maar), then filled with water to create a crater lake.

Lake Fudo-ike is a crater lake 200 meters in diameter and 9m deep located in the northwest of Ebino Plateau.
Its waters are mildly acidic as it is fed from Mt. Iwo.
The lake can be viewed from Route 1 and is bustling with visitors.

Mt. Kurino is a massif made up of several volcanoes at the far west of the Kirishima area. It is one of the old volcanoes that first erupted following the large eruption that formed the Kakuto Caldera some 340,000 years ago. Over the long period since its formation, Mt. Kurino has eroded and its form has diminished. As an old volcano, Mt. Kurino is covered in vegetation, with fairly high stands of trees near the summit.

The deepest crater lake in Japan at 1km across, 4.3km in circumference and 103m deep, Lake Miike was created by a
phreatomagmatic eruption which took place around 4,600 years ago. The pumice stone which is produced when eruptions occur is also known as "lake earth" in Japanese; large deposits of this have long been found in in Takahara-cho and are currently seen in the center of Miyakonojo as well.
There are seven ports on the lake: Matsu Port, Mukurasemi Port, Oji Port, Urugizaki Port, Karukaya Port, Yanagi Port and Gomadan Port. Oji Port ("The Prince’s Port"), which currently has a boat platform, is said to have acquired its name from the legend that Emperor Jinno, the first emperor of Japan, played on the shore here as a young child.
There is also a legend about a "shinryu" (divine dragon) associated with this lake. According to "Sangoku Meishozue" (Geography of Southern Kyushu), a book about scenic spots written in 1843, a priest called Shoku Shonin (910–1007), who established a mountain temple in Mt. Kirishima, described how a nine-headed divine dragon appeared to him while he was engaged in religious training on the banks of the river, whereupon Shoku offered a jewel to the dragon.