Tarumae-san (樽前山), a broad-sloped volcano on the southern edge of Lake Shikotsu (支笏湖) caldera, erupted explosively during the Edo Period, dumping a huge amount of ash and rock on the area around Tomakomai and Chitose. The unique lava dome was created in the 1909 eruption; and even today the volcano remains active and a source of apprehension. The name of the mountain is probably related to the Ainu taru-mai, but the meaning of such a word is unclear. On the other hand, the volcanically extinct Fuppushi-dake (風不死岳), covered thickly with evergreen forest, definitively comes from the Ainu fup-ushi, meaning 'place where the Sakhalin firs (Abies sachalinensis, トドマツ) grow rampantly.'

   My personal favorite route is the direct north route straight up to the summit of Fuppushi-dake from the southeastern shore of Shikotsuko. This gains a lot of elevation quite quickly, is way less crowded, and is relatively cooler than the Tarumae route due to the abundant tree cover. Plus, the last 100 metre section before the summit requires concentration and extra physical effort as you need to traverse the top of the old lava chute and cliffs. But here I will explain in more detail the Tarumae-san traverse.

   Since it's possible that due to volcanic activity, the hiking trails may be closed, we always check the reports before heading out to the mountain. The trailhead sits at Tarumae-san's 7th station marker (7合目), which is to say that the trailhead is 7/10 of the way up the mountain. Since the approach is so easy, Tarumae-san has lately become a very well-climbed mountain, and overuse is becoming a problem. Please be careful not to tread on any plants off-trail and to pack all your trash out with you and dispose of it responsibly.

After passing through a stand of Alnus japonica (ミヤマハンノキ), you'll come out onto a long slope covered with eruption ejecta but across which you'll have a practically unobstructed view. On Tarumae-san's characteristic broad slope you'll see flowers like Pennellianthus frutescens (イワブクロ or タルマエソウ, named after the mountain), Japanese wintergreen, (Gaultheria pyroloides, シラタマノ キ), and wild rosemary (Ledum palustrum, イソツツジ) among other such volcanic-growth plants.

After a short while climbing, you'll come to the outer rim of the crater, where you can almost fall into the view of the billowing smoke from the lava dome. From here you'll probably get a good idea of how alive the mountain is. It's said, in fact, that during the 1667 eruption, the smoke blew as high as the stratosphere and the rumbling could be heard in Aomori.

Since the crater is off-limits, we'll climb over Higashi-yama (東山) and around the north rim of the crater towards Fuppushi-dake.

After descending an easy scree-covered ridge, we'll traverse the eastern slopes of the descriptively-named 932-Meter Peak and pass a junction, heading out across a saddle ridge toward Fuppushi- dake. Past the saddle you'll enter a forest of Erman's birch (Betula ermanii, ダケカンバ) and proceed up a steep slope to an undulating ridgeline. This ridgeline will bring us to the summit of Fuppushi-dake. The summit is covered low trees, so, looking back towards Tarumae-san, you should get a good sense of how different these two mountains really are.

For the trip back, head back to that junction and take the trail heading directly to the 7th station marker trailhead. This trail traverses the long flank of Tarumae-san and weaves among endless clusters of wild rosemary, which in mid-June look spectacular. That such beautiful plants can live on the flanks of an active volcano makes this a moving part of the hike.

After an easy traverse, you'll end up back at the trailhead.