Domesticated volcano (Japan, Ōwakudani)

Ōwakudani, literally the Great Boiling Valley , is an active volcanic site formed by the eruption of Mount Hakone about 3,000 years ago. Sulfur fumaroles still rise from it today, continuously marking the surface of the mountain.

This unstable landscape, marked by persistent seismic activity, is today structured by very rigorous civil engineering systems : anti-slide walls , sabo dams (sediment dams), retention bins , and reinforced anchors crisscross the slopes to prevent mudflows (lahars) and landslides .

The photograph highlights these volcanic stabilization structures , whose repetitive forms appear almost ruler-drawn, offering a striking contrast to the chaotic textures of the volcanic rock . On the right, the concrete modules anchored in the earth – similar to geometric paving stones – embody the human attempt to come to terms with a living mountain.

The Ōwakudani site remains under constant surveillance due to the danger of its volcanic gases (sulfur, carbon dioxide). Despite this, the valley remains visited for its black eggs cooked in the sulfurous hot springs, believed to prolong life according to local tradition.