The eruption of Mount Ontake on Sept. 27 has farmers and tourism employees worried that the region's goods and reputation may be damaged.
The tourism industry is particularly worried that a prolonged volcanic crisis could hurt the region's business. The agriculture sector meanwhile has to deal with food-safety concerns.
"It should be safe if we just remove the ash," said Makoto Oshima, head of the Agricultural Center for Improvement and Popularization of Agriculture in the town of Kiso, Nagano Prefecture. "I'm most concerned about the bad image that might be associated with Mount Ontake."