Mount Mihara

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mount Mihara (三原山 Miharayama) is an active volcano on the Japanese isle of Izu Ōshima. From a vantage point near the top of the cone it was possible to leap straight into the lava flow. This made it a very popular venue for suicides. Starting in the 1920s, several suicides occurred in the volcano every week, with more than six hundred people jumping in 1936 ^[1]. Authorities eventually erected a fence around the base of the structure to curb the number of suicides.

Mount Mihara's last eruption in 1986 saw spectacular lava fountains up to 1 kilometer wide. All of the islands 12,000 inhabitants were evacuated by dozens of vessels consisting of both the military and civilian volunteers.

[edit] Mihara in popular culture

In the realm of fiction, Mount Mihara was the place where the Japanese government imprisoned Godzilla in the movie Godzilla 1985. Five years later, in the sequel Godzilla vs Biollante, bombs placed on Mt. Mihara go off and release Godzilla from his fiery tomb.

[edit] Bibliography

• Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide by Kay Redfield Jamison, Vintage Books 2000

[edit] References