Mt. Ebinodake

Dormant volcano in Miyazaki's Ebino Kogen highlands, its shallow 700-meter-wide crater circled by a hiking trail that takes just over an hour to complete. As you climb, the forest transitions from warm-temperate to temperate, and looking up through the canopy makes this shift visible in the tree types above you. Mushrooms appear at every elevation, including the bioluminescent tsukiyotake, or moonlight mushroom. The main lookout sits just under 1,300 meters and frames a panorama of surrounding volcanic peaks: Shiratoriyama, Koshikidake, Ioyama, and Karakunidake. On a clear day, Sakurajima and Kagoshima Bay are visible in the far south.