Where is the volcano Mount Mihara located?

Mount Mihara is an active volcano on the Japanese isle of Izu Ōshima. Although the volcano is predominantly basaltic, major eruptions have occurred at intervals of 100–150 years. Mount Mihara is an exciting and dramatic place for all sorts of reasons.

Its first and most obvious interesting characteristic is its ability to spew fantastic lava fountains into the sky. In 1986, it put on a spectacular show that included explosive and central vent eruptions, impressive lava flows, and a lava lake blast. Its finale was a high subplane plume that could be clearly viewed by the 12,000 inhabitants of the island as they sailed off.

Mount Mihara was the place where the Japanese government imprisoned Godzilla in the movie The Return of Godzilla. Five years later, in the sequel Godzilla vs. Biollante, bombs placed on Mt. Mihara go off and release Godzilla from his fiery tomb.

Perhaps the most intriguing yet sobering feature of Mount Mihara is its unfortunate appeal to those who wish to end their life. In the 1920s, it was found that a vantage point near the cone made leaping into the crater a convenient way to die by suicide. Quickly earning the moniker “Suicide Point,” the extremely popular crater claimed 944 lives in 1933 alone, Finally, authorities built a giant wire fence around the vantage point and made it illegal to purchase a one-way ticket to the island.