Mt. Fuji in the beginning of spring is still a snowy landscape. The hard buds are also covered with light snow on the branches of the cherry blossoms, and at first glance it looks like a blooming cherry blossom.  This is also a landscape of Mt. Fuji and makes me feel that spring is approaching. Mt. Fuji is one of the 110 active volcanoes in Japan, and it has been active for about 5,000 years in a long span. The most recent eruption of Hoei era in 1707 seems to have caused enormous damage due to volcanic ash. About 300 years have passed since this eruption, and it is in a situation where the eruption could happen at any time. If possible, I would want Mt Fuji to become an extinct volcano and retain its beautiful appearance, but I hope that it will continue to live as it is and become the anchor of the heart of us Japanese people.

立春の富士山はまだ雪景色です。蕾も堅い桜の枝に薄雪が被り、一見花開いた桜に見えます。しかし、春近しを感じさせる風景でもあります。その富士山、国内に110ある活火山の一つで、長いスパンで見ると約5000年前から続く活動期にあります。直近では1707年に宝永大噴火が起き、火山灰などにより甚大な被害が出たようです。今はこの噴火から約300年経過しており、いつ噴火してもおかしくはない状況にあります。できたら、このまま死火山になってこの美しい姿を留めて欲しいとも思うこともありますが、富士山はやはり生きているからこそ私たち日本人の心の拠り所となっているんですね。