A popular tourist site on Mount Hakone was reopened Friday, ending a six-month closure caused by an increase in the volcanic alert level in the hot spring resort area, local authorities said.
The Owakudani valley district, famous for its sulfur vents and geothermal hot springs, had been closed to visitors since the Meteorological Agency raised the alert level for Mount Hakone to 2 on its 5-point scale on May 19, warning people not to approach the crater.
Restrictions on entry were lifted after the agency lowered the alert level to 1 on Oct. 7, deeming that the mountain still had potential for volcanic activity but was basically safe.