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Japan lifts volcanic warning for Mount Hakone

Xinhua, November 20, 2015 Adjust font size:

Japanese Meteorological Agency on Friday lifted the volcanic warning for Mount Hakone, a popular tourist spot southwest of Tokyo.

The agency downgraded the volcanic alert level from 2, a level advising regulated entries to areas around the volcanic vent, to the lowest level 1, meaning the situation has come back to normal and people in the vicinity need only to be "mindful" of the volcano's potential activity.

Yet the town of Hakone said it will continue to restrict entries to certain areas of the mountain's Owakudani district until the density of volcanic gas lowers.

Volcanic activity at Mount Hakone began intensifying in late April. The alert level was raised from 1 to 2 in May and further to 3 in late June after a small-scale eruption.

Another eruption was observed on July 1, but volcanic activity has since diminished and the warning level was lowered to 2 in September.

With famed hot springs and a spectacular view of Mount Fuji, Mount Hakone has been a popular tourist destination, especially for foreign tourists.

According to local government data, the number of Japanese travelers to the mountain during the May-September period declined by 34 percent from a year earlier, while the figure for foreign visitors increased by 26 percent despite the volcanic warnings. Enditem