Mt Usu and Showa-shinzan

Heading west towards Mt Yotei, we passed by a local peak called Mt Usu (有珠山, usu-zan) that we decided to check out. For me, I'm always keen to climb mountains (especially one you can spot at a distance), but my husband was quite excited to check out the peak right next to it known as Showa-shinzan (昭和新山). As it turns out, kids in Japan learn about this peak in school. Its name means "Showa-era new mountain" as it formed during Japan's Showa era - it literally just grew up out of the ground between 1943 and 1945. Japan was in the midst of World War 2 at the time, so its appearance was kept hush-hush from the general population as it could be seen as a bad omen. Unfortunately you can't climb Showa-shinzan, but you can appreciate its prominent red peak as you head up on the ropeway towards Mt Usu. "Hiking" Mt Usu is fairly simple. Although the peak itself is off-limits, there's an observatory near the ropeway station from where you can enjoy the view. Beyond that, there's a short 2-hour…