The gateway to steaming Mount Io

Mount Io Rest House is located at the foot of Mount Io and provides parking in front of the mountain. Here you can see Mount Io's dramatic steaming volcanic vents, called fumaroles. The sulfur billowing out from the vents turns the ground around them an electric yellow. It is also the southern entrance to the Tsutsujigahara Nature Trail. The gentle 2-kilometer path leads to the Kawayu Eco-museum Center in the town of Kawayu Onsen.

Large colonies of Labrador tea flowers grow along the middle section of the trail in late spring, covering the area in a blanket of white. The views of the volcanic terrain of Mount Io are particularly striking in winter when rising volcanic steam contrasts sharply with the snow.

At the rest house, refuel on onsen tamago, flavorful eggs cooked in water from the nearby hot springs. Exhibitions provide information about Mount Io and souvenirs are available at the rest house gift shop.