The Highest Mountains in Japan

Let's be frank....I'm obsessed with the highest mountains in Japan. During my long-term tenure in Japan, I've been blessed to have had many opportunities to pursue my favorite hobby....mountain climbing. 

Mountain Climbing 101

I was once asked by a friend whether my recent trip to the Japanese Alps was real "climbing" or just "hiking." "Hiking" in the Japanese Alps is a real pleasure, even in the most vertical sections, as there are always plenty of ropes, chains, ladders, and even steel stairways to assist you. This is great, as it means there is no need to lug along any heavy technical gear like ropes, axes, or pitons. 

One of the beauties of living in Tokyo is that exercise is already built-in to our everyday lifestyle. You walk or bike to the train or subway station and, thru the course of a typical commute, have to negotiate FLIGHTS and FLIGHTS of stairs in the stations. And we don't "hike" stairs....we "climb" them. 

So even if we "hike" to the top of a peak, I would argue it's definitely a form of climbing, especially in the many cases where you gain well over a vertical mile (~1609m) in elevation. The awesome "hiking" section shown above is called "kani-no-tatebai" (Japanese for "crawling upwards like a crab"), near the summit of Mt. Tsurugi-dake, the 22nd highest mountain in Japan. Whether one wishes to call it climbing or hiking, you can be the judge.  

"True" Mountaineering

I'm certainly no technical rock climber, and have used ropes, crampons, or ice axes only a handful of times in my entire lifetime.

Actually, the closest I ever came to true mountaineering was in Sept. 1979 when with friends I climbed Gannett Peak, the tallest peak in Wyoming in the spectacular Wind River Range, which contains the largest concentration of active glaciers in the American Rocky Mountains (this was my 3rd attempt at Gannett Peak).

Atop Gannett Peak, the tallest peak in Wyoming
Tom, Marion, and yours truly
(And our buddy Brian was the picture taker!)

Nonetheless, Japan has some of the most spectacular peaks I've ever had the pleasure of climbing, and thru the years I've somehow managed to get atop all of the 29 highest mountains in Japan, and 38 of the tallest 50. 

With the exception of Mt. Fuji (富士山), the highest mountain in Japan, & Mt. Ontake-san (御嶽山) which are independent peaks, all of the nation's 25 highest peaks are in the Northern, Central, or Southern Japan Alps mountain ranges, with 12 in the north, 10 in the south, and only 1 in the Central Alps.

Japan's Highest Mountains

(zoom out to see all 25 highest mountains)
View 25 Highest Mountains in Japan in a larger map

Try, Try Again

My love affair with Japan's high country has been pretty much an annual summer obsession. During my 1st couple decades  in Japan, only in 1992, 1999, and 2004 was I unable to escape Tokyo's concrete jungle. And in 2005, due to severely inclement weather, a friend & I were unsuccessful in my first attempt at Mt. Kashimayari-ga-dake (鹿島槍ヶ岳). I also failed in my first attempt at Mt. Oku-hotaka-dake (奥穂高岳), Japan's 3rd highest mountain.

Since my teenage days as a Boy Scout, I've been passionate about the alpine country. Through the years I was fortunate to have had enough free time to ascend to the top of 13 of the U.S. state highpoints (including Mt. Whitney, California's highest mountain & the highest peak in the 48 contiguous states) and 12 of Colorado's 54 famous "Fourteeners" (peaks higher than 14,000 feet (~4267m)).

And I've found hiking up the highest mountains in Japan to be very liberating to my spirit....the fresh air, flowers, wildlife, breathtaking sunrises & sunsets, the Milky Way & SO many stars in the sky, and 360-degree panoramas can be quite exhilarating. There's nothing more rewarding than the view from the top of the peak, seemingly with the world at your feet.

Mt. Yakushi-dake (薬師岳), elev. 2926 m,
the 27th highest mountain in Japan

Climbing Mt. Fuji

Atop Mt. Fuji
(The Wolffman shooting the Hook 'em Horns sign)

The View from the Top of Japan^©

Several years ago I had an opportunity to participate in an innovative project conceived by a grad student in South Dakota that he called the 800x600 project. He solicited many interesting 8x8 photo collages from all over the world, with the requirement that each photo be sized 100x75 pixels and pertain to some common theme. 

When I first heard about this project from my sister, I immediately knew my contribution would be about the highest mountains in Japan. The collage below, entitled "The View from the Top of Japan," is a scaled-down version of the one I submitted as part of the project.

The original full-size 800x600 pic is here.
(another really cute entry in the 800x600 project is entitled "Blue Popsicle")

Stay tuned as I continue to populate this section of my website with pics, videos, route maps, elevation profiles, and more details on the highest mountains in Japan, based upon my climbing experience here over the past quarter-century. In the meantime, feel free to check out my links to other noteworthy mountain climbing sites in Japan. 

If you have any questions, comments, or stories to share, by all means please do so by using the form below. I'd be delighted to hear from you, as I'm sure so will future visitors to this page. Thanks so much for stopping by!