photo by kwkd
When it comes to Japanese mountains, Mt. Fuji would be the one that pops up in your mind first. The most part of Japan is mountainous with little level ground. As explained in the famous book by Kyuya Fukada “100 Famous Japanese Mountains”, Japan has a number of spectacular mountains with beautiful nature. The recent outdoor frenzy has boosted the number of hikers visiting Japanese mountains. This column will explore 7 mountains that are popular for great sceneries.
Mount Zao (Yamagata)
Mount Zao is a range of mountains on the border of Miyagi Prefecture and Yamagata Prefecture. Mount Zao is not one single mountain, but a whole series of peaks stretching 25km from Mt. Gando to Mt. Fubo in Southern Miyagi. All the peaks of Zao exceed 1000m, and many of them even reach 1700m. A variety of hiking courses includes a 1–2-hour course to view a volcanic crater lake called “Okama” and an over-8-hour course to walk through mountain ridges. In addition, visitors can enjoy snowshoe trekking and watching rime ice in winter. Don’t forget to submit your hiking plan (hiking notification) before setting off to the proper climbing, unless you are just taking a short walk along footpaths.
Oze (Fokushima, Niigata, Gunma, Tochigi)
Oze is probably the most well-known trekking course in Japan. Its beautiful nature is sung in a song called “Natsu no Omoide (Summer Memories)”. Oze National Park is located at an altitude of 1400 – 1700m, spreading on the borders of four prefectures: Fukushima, Niigata, Gunma, and Tochigi. Among all the rare swamp plants and insects inhabiting Ozegahara and Ozenuma, Japan’s alpine marshlands, white flowers of Asian skunk cabbage blooming in the summertime are the most well-known. Oze trekking courses include light courses taking 2-7 hours to trip and longer courses to visit several scenic spots for a few days. You can choose where to enter from, for example, Gunma side if you are coming from Kanto Region or Fukushima side if you want to head up to Ozenuma straight away.
Nakasendo (Nagano, Gifu)
Nakasendo is one of the five routes developed during the Edo period which links Tokyo and Kyoto through the inland. The Nakasendo Nature Path is a popular hiking course running between Nagiso in Nagano, and Ochiaijuku in Gifu. The area between Tsumagojuku and Magomejuku, stretching for 9km, is particularly well-known for its beautiful sceneries and good old Japanese townships reminding visitors of travels in the feudal age. The highest land in this area is Magomejuku at an altitude of 800m. The course is steeper from Nagano side while the Gifu side path is rather gentle.
Kumano Kodo (Wakayama)
The Kumano Region in the south of The Kii Peninsula has been the center of mountain worship since ancient times. The Kumano Kodo, a series of pilgrimage routes leading to the Three Kumano Shrines: Kumano Hongu Taisha, Kumano Hayatama Taisha, and Kumano Nachi Taisha, has kept attracting countless Kumano pilgrims in old times and hikers in modern days. The Kumano Kodo spread vastly across four neighboring prefectures, offering many courses at different levels from a 7km mild course to an advanced level course crossing an over 1000 mountain pass. The Kumano Kodo tranquilizes your mind with its abundant nature that has been worshipped as a sacred round attracting countless pilgrims since ancient times.
Kumano Hongu Tourist Association
Shingu City Tourist Association
Nachi Katsuura Tourism Organization
Mount Takao (Tokyo)
Megalopolis Tokyo is quite surprisingly familiar with nature. Mount Takao is only an hour away by train from the metropolitan area of Tokyo and offers good hiking courses. This 600m small mountain is easy to access by train and has several hiking routes that suits year-round hiking. You can choose a route from three 1-2.5km courses which you go to and start from halfway up the mountain by cable car and three 3-4km courses that you climb all the way from Takaosan-guchi to the top. The scenery from the top is spectacular, especially on a sunny day. In wintertime, you may be able to find Mount Fuji.
Mount Aso (Kumamoto)
Located in the north of Kumamoto Prefecture, Mount Aso boasts the beautiful world’s largest caldera covered with green grass and marvelous double volcano with a massive vent. Five peaks, Takadake, Nakadake, Nekodake, Eboshidake, and Kishimadake surround the vent showing different scenes. The highest peak Takadake is 1,500m, and the other four peaks also exceed 1,300m. All trekking courses in Mount Aso challenge your endurance. Note that some of the routes may be partially closed because of the heavy rainfall in recent years. Also, remember to check the eruption condition on the day and submit your hiking plan since Mount Aso is an active volcano.
Mount Miune (Tokushima/Kochi)
Mount Miune, the highest peak in Shikoku Island, rises to 1,900m. Isolated deep in the mountain, Miune preserves ample primeval forests, worthy of the title “the hidden land”. This mountain has no trees around its summit because of its high altitude which gives a clear outlook. All hiking courses here are long-distance: 8.7km from the starting point to the summit taking 6 hours to trip. In addition, the conditions of trekking paths are not fantastic and, therefore suitable for intermediate or higher-level hikers. There are a few lodges and shelters convenient for multi-day hiking.
Happy trekking!
Japan’s landforms are hilly. A number of mountains and hills occupy 70% of its land. So, you will never be short of hiking courses in Japan. All the mountains introduced in this column boast spectacular sceneries, but there are many more beautiful mountains awaiting you all over the country. You can climb many of them throughout a year. So, why don’t you pack your backpack and go out there?
