Mountains

Peaks of pilgrimage and play

More than 70 percent of Japan’s landmass is mountainous, bestowing the country’s peaks with a special place in Japanese culture, spirituality, and life. Spend time on their slopes and you’ll have not only the chance to see some of the country’s most spectacular scenery, but also the opportunity to connect with Japanese traditions both old and new.

The three Sacred Peaks

For their displays of natural power (which give them a close connection to the gods), three Japanese peaks have traditionally been deemed holier than all others. Collectively known as the Sanreizan, the trio includes Mount Fuji, the now-dormant volcano lying to the west of Tokyo. Second on the list is the 8,860-ft (2,700-m) Mount Haku, on the borders of Ishikawa, Gifu, and Fukui prefectures, revered for the meltwater lakes at its base—though today it is perhaps more prized as a destination for winter sports. Finally, there is the 9,890-ft (3,015-m) Mount Tate in Toyama Prefecture, dotted with natural hot springs and sulphur vents, and said to be where the spirits of the deceased gather. For centuries, pilgrims have scaled their heights in search of spiritual enlightenment, launching a tradition of Japanese mountain climbing that continues to this day.

japan’s alps

Pilgrims and monks first carved out many of Japan’s top hiking routes, and there are none more popular than those in the Japanese Alps, which are divided into three sections. The northern part contains the Hida Mountains, which run just over 60 miles (100 km) through Gifu, Nagano, and Toyama prefectures and include the 9,839-ft (2,999-m) Mount Tsurugi, rated as the most dangerous climb in Japan. The Kiso Mountains in Nagano and Gifu make up the central section, and the valleys between their peaks contain some of the prettiest preserved villages in Japan—former staging posts on the old Nakasendo highway, such as Tsumago. In the southern section are the Akaishi Mountains, on the border of Nagano, Yamanashi, and Shizuoka prefectures. Home to ten of the 100 top-ranked mountains in Japan, they are a good place to spot Japanese serow (goat-antelopes), sika deer, and birds like the rock ptarmigan and spotted nutcracker.

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D The Japanese Alps were named for their resemblance to the European Alps.

hitting the slopes

Skiing was introduced to Japan in the early 1900s by an Austrian army major named Theodor von Lerch—he is commemorated by one of Niigata Prefecture’s local mascots, the moustachioed Lerch-san. Today, Niigata is still home to great skiing and snowboarding in areas such as Yuzawa and Naeba, as is neighboring Nagano, where Hakuba hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics. But both have been eclipsed by Niseko in Hokkaido, which has become one of Asia’s top winter-sports destinations thanks to its powder snow and backcountry options.

pioneering mountaineers

Japan’s tradition of mountain climbing is one of the oldest in the world, dating as far back as the 9th century.

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D Left to right: Wildlife found in the Japanese Alps includes the rock ptarmigan; Niseko is one of Japan’s premier destinations for winter sports.

Be More Japan mountains

The top 100

In the 1960s, the writer and mountaineer Kyuya Fukada published a book titled 100 Famous Japanese Mountains, each peak selected by him for its grace, history, and individuality. Covering mountains across the nation, it has become something of a bible for Japanese hikers—the 100 mountains everyone wants to summit.

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