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Surrounded by Lakes

Mt Fuji is Japans highest mountain and an active volcano that last erupted in 1707. It is surrounded by five lakes: Lake Kawaguchi, Lake Yamanaka, Lake Sai, Lake Motosu and Lake Shōji.

An Iconic Volcano

Mt Fuji is probably the most iconic volcano, with its typical pointed stratovolcano shape, snow covered peak with a volcanic crater at the top.

The mountain can only be climbed in July and August and is seen as a sacred place to visit – a volcano shrine.

Image Credit: NASA – 3D panoramic view of Mount Fuji. Picture made using SRTM data

Tectonic Plates Around Japan

The reason why the volcano is here is because Japan sits on a subduction boundary, so you get volcanoes like Fuji, but it also means that the country can also get earthquakes and tsunamis. See the plate tectonic configuration around Japan with this great movie:

Video credit: https://white-rabbit.jp/en/molcer-plus/free-data/tectonic-plates-around-japan-3d-model/ check out their page here

Beautiful Fuji Art

The ‘Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji‘ is a series of world famous landscape prints of Mt Fuji, by the Japanese ukiho-e artist Hokusai (1760–1849). You can see the ‘Thunderstorm Beneath the Summit‘ which is on the front of your postcard, and the eagle-eyed will have noticed the ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa‘ in the watermark background on the back of the postcard. Also shown are ‘Fine Wind, Clear Morning’ and ‘Inume Pass, Kōshū‘.

The Tokyo Skytree

The Tokyo Skytree (one of the tallest buildings in the world) has been designed to withstand earthquakes. They use some of the ancient technology from Pagodas, which have a central spine that allows the building to move in an earthquake… pretty cool!!

They are so prepared for earthquakes in Japan that they have an earthquake centre. There you can learn about and train for what happens in a real earthquake situation. Here we are in an earthquake simulation room with a factor 6 shake… wobble wobble wobble !!!!!

Image Credit: Dougal Jerram

Dr Volcano with one of the monkeys having a hot spa.

The Snow Monkeys that live in an area called Jigokudani, near Mt Fuji, are famed for their lazing about in hot springs.

Image Credit: Dougal Jerram

Tsunami survival technology

They have invented a Tsunami Ball! A reinforced yellow tsunami escape pod that you can jump into if you are not able to get away from an impending Tsunami.
Here is Dr Volcano in one at Tokyo Harbour.

Image Credit: Dougal Jerram

YOUR MISSION, SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT …

Become a volcano artist!!

Its your turn to make some volcano art. Do you see yourself as the new Hokusai or Joseph Wright (see the Vesuvius postcard and this page)?

Left are some examples of children’s volcano art reproduced from ‘Introducing Volcanology – a Guide to Hot Rocks’ 1st edition, by Dougal Jerram.

Your Task

You can paint or draw your favourite volcano. You can choose from the ones that you have already received by postcard. Or do some research to find a great volcano view that takes your fancy, or even make up your own volcano scene, like one from when the dinosaurs existed.

You can paint or draw in a variety of different styles and for further inspiration why not look up some of the famous volcano art that is out there. Maybe you will become the next volcano artist to create great volcano images on canvas.

PostcardsFromArt show you many different art styles and techniques. Tanno and Iguda visit artists and learn some of their techniques.