Volcano

Izu Oshima: 1 Live Camera in Japan

Part of Tokyo, and an island that is entirely one volcano. Mount Mihara at its centre erupted in 1986 and every resident was evacuated. Refreshed every two minutes.

What you can see

Izu Oshima belongs to Tokyo, but it sits on the sea more than 100 km south of the city. Mount Mihara at its centre is the active volcano, and the island itself is the top of a volcano grown up from the sea floor.

In the 1986 eruption lava broke out of the flank and all roughly 10,000 inhabitants were evacuated. The tracks of those lava flows are still there as black bands across the slope.

The camera takes in the mountain and, in front of it, the black volcanic-ash waste known as the Ura-sabaku, the back desert. Almost nothing grows there — an unusual landscape for Japan. On a good day the sea is in frame too.

Cameras you can watch now: 1

All 1 are still images. Tap one to open it in the camera list.

• Sample August 2026

  Izu Oshima

  Oshima, Tokyo · Volcano · Sea

  The 1986 eruption evacuated every resident off the island. The camera looks at the Mount Mihara caldera from the northwest rim.

  JMA Still, every 2 min Open the official page →

When to watch

Being an island, it is heavily affected by fog and cloud. From spring through the rainy season in particular, whole days pass with the island wrapped in it. Winter is clearest: on a fine day with the northwesterly blowing, the air is sharp and the view runs a long way.

Mornings are best. Izu Oshima is on Tokyo time, so sunrise is around 6:30 a.m. in winter and 4:30 a.m. in summer.

From late January into February camellias flower on the island's slopes. The camera points at the mountain so the flowers themselves are not in shot, but this is the season the island is known for them.

If it isn't showing

Island cameras are vulnerable to sea fog. From spring into early summer, when warm air crosses cold water, everything around can be clear while the island alone goes white. At night the image is black.

The same agency's cameras run down the island chain. The Izu Islands page carries seven, Izu Oshima included; opening Niijima, Kozushima, Miyakejima, Hachijojima and Aogashima in order southward shows where the band of cloud is sitting. To look north instead, Mount Fuji has four.

Where to find Izu Oshima

• Tokyo19

Agencies publishing the cameras on this page

• Japan Meteorological Agency — volcano surveillance cameras (PDL 1.0) — Official site

The footage belongs to each agency. This site is an unofficial guide, and each sample frame was copied once per camera under that agency's terms of use.