Volcanic Activity in Japan — Current Alert Levels
Japan has 111 active volcanoes, and the Japan Meteorological Agency watches every one around the clock. Listed here is each volcano with a warning in effect — for most, a standing instruction to keep away from the crater rather than a sign of imminent eruption.
Every volcano with a JMA volcanic warning in effect right now, most serious first.
- Asosan Level 2 — do not approach the craterAffects Kumamoto · since 1 Sept 2026
- Kuchinoerabujima Level 2 — do not approach the craterAffects Kagoshima · since 27 Jul 2026
- Tokachidake Level 2 — do not approach the craterAffects Hokkaido · since 18 Jun 2026
- Kirishimayama (Shinmoedake) Level 2 — do not approach the craterAffects Miyazaki, Kagoshima · since 17 Oct 2025
- Meakandake Level 2 — do not approach the craterAffects Hokkaido · since 15 Sept 2025
- Sumisujima (Smith Rocks) Caution in nearby watersAffects Tokyo · since 19 Sept 2024
- Suwanosejima Level 2 — do not approach the craterAffects Kagoshima · since 27 Mar 2024
- Beyonesu (Bayonnaise) Rocks Caution in nearby watersAffects Tokyo · since 26 Jan 2023
- Sakurajima Level 3 — do not climb the volcanoAffects Kagoshima · since 27 Jul 2022
- Fukutoku-Oka-no-Ba Caution in nearby watersAffects Tokyo · since 16 Aug 2021
- Satsuma-Iojima Level 2 — do not approach the craterAffects Kagoshima · since 8 Mar 2021
- Nishinoshima Do not approach the volcanoAffects Tokyo · since 18 Dec 2020
- Ioto Do not approach the craterAffects Tokyo · since 1 Dec 2007
- Iwatesan Level 1 — active volcano, be awareAffects Iwate · since 27 Aug 2026
Japan's volcanic alert levels
Most watched volcanoes carry a 1–5 alert level; a few remote islands and submarine volcanoes use equivalent wordings instead.
- Level 1 — be aware The volcano is active but calm, and the mountain is open. Mount Fuji sits here — normal tourism, no restrictions.
- Level 2 — crater restrictions Keep out of a marked zone around the crater, typically about a kilometre. The rest of the mountain, and every town near it, carries on as normal.
- Level 3 — do not climb Entry to the mountain itself is restricted, with the no-go zone extended a few kilometres from the crater. Towns and transport nearby are unaffected — Sakurajima has spent years here while Kagoshima life continues across the bay.
- Level 4 — prepare to evacuate An eruption threatening residential areas is possible: vulnerable residents evacuate, everyone else prepares to. Rare, local and heavily covered by the news when it happens.
- Level 5 — evacuate Residential areas are in danger and designated zones evacuate. Issued a handful of times in the system's history.
Response actions
If you're visiting a volcano area — onsen towns, crater viewpoints and hiking trails included.
- Respect the barriers Ropes, gates and level signs mark the current no-go zone, and they move as the level changes. The boundary is drawn from where volcanic rocks can actually land — being just inside it is the danger, not a technicality.
- If ash is falling Cover your mouth and nose with a mask or damp cloth, protect your eyes — glasses rather than contact lenses — and head indoors. Ash is abrasive rock, not soft snow, and cars and trains slow down in it.
- If an eruption starts nearby Get behind solid shelter — a hut, a boulder, a vehicle — and protect your head from falling rocks, which cause most casualties near a crater. Move away from the summit and out of valleys, which channel volcanic flows.
- Afterwards Follow staff and local instructions, and keep the official Safety tips app or NHK World open for updates in English.
Good to know
- Follow the official feed For live English updates on any eruption — what happened and what's restricted — check JNTO's @JapanSafeTravel account on X (Twitter).
- An erupting volcano can be an ordinary day Sakurajima erupts hundreds of times a year while Kagoshima's trams run and school carries on — locals check the ash forecast the way others check for rain. A volcano on this page is being managed, not evacuated.
- Check before you climb Alert levels move, and trailheads close with them — a hike that was open when you planned it can be shut when you arrive. Check this page and the trailhead notices before climbing any listed volcano.
- Mind the gas warnings The volcanic valleys behind onsen towns — the various jigoku, or "hells" — can pool invisible volcanic gas. Stay on the boardwalks and obey posted no-entry areas, especially on still days.
- Ash can touch flights A large eruption occasionally delays flights in southern Kyushu, and airlines rebook around it as they would a typhoon. Anything that big will be on this page and all over the news first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — the alert system exists precisely so that tourism and volcanoes coexist. Most famous volcanic sights, from Mount Fuji to Hakone's hot springs, sit at Level 1 with no restrictions, and even a Level 3 volcano like Sakurajima is visited daily from a safe distance. The rule is simple: the level decides where you can go, and the barriers on the ground mark it.
Five steps: Level 1, the volcano is active but open; Level 2, keep away from the crater; Level 3, don't climb the mountain; Level 4, residents prepare to evacuate; Level 5, evacuate. For travelers the practical line is between 2 and 3 — Level 2 closes a viewpoint, Level 3 closes the mountain.
No. Sakurajima's Level 3 keeps everyone a couple of kilometres from the crater, and the city watches its near-daily ash plumes from across the bay as ordinary scenery. The ferry runs, the lava-coast footpaths and viewpoints stay open, and an umbrella covers the occasional ashfall.
Almost never beyond the mountain itself. A raised level closes trails and craters locally; the rest of the itinerary is untouched. The exceptions are big ash eruptions that occasionally delay flights in southern Kyushu — rare, well covered by news, and handled by airlines like any weather delay.