Mount Asama
Visitor numbers peaked at 265,000 in 1994; however, seismic activity at nearby Mount Asama was one reason for frequent closures. The closures were a factor in the drop in visitors: this gradually fell to 23,000. In the later years of the museum, most of the visitors were on school excursions. The museum was running a deficit of about 17 million yen per year, paid for by the town of Naganohara. Additionally, the building was ageing, and maintenance threatened to cost hundreds of millions of yen.