100 Famous Shinshu Mountains
The Shinshū 100 Famous Mountains were selected by Eiichi Shimizu as the defining peaks of Nagano Prefecture (historically known as Shinshū). The list draws heavily from the Northern Alps (Hida Mountains), the Yatsugatake, and the Central Alps — the backbone ranges of a prefecture that is, by any measure, the heart of Japanese mountain culture.
This page covers the 60 peaks on the list that can be reached without a private car. Most trailheads are served by bus from the nearest train station; for those that aren't, a shared taxi or regular taxi will get you there. Featured peaks include Kirigamine, Mt. Aka, Mt. Akaishi and Mt. Amakazari. Each guide spells out the exact route from the station to the trailhead — bus and taxi timetables, fares, and frequencies verified against official schedules. Use the map and list below to compare access ease and fitness demand, whether you're planning a day hike or a multi-day traverse with an overnight stay beforehand.
100 Famous Shinshu Mountains
Compare by the numbers
An active volcano straddling the Nagano-Gunma border, with a spectacular crater-rim view from Kurofuyama on the outer caldera.
The premier viewpoint of the Jonen range, with a full panorama of Yari and the Hotaka massif from the summit.
A pyramid-shaped peak holding one of Japan's three great snowfields, where summer visitors still crunch across Harinoki Daisekkei.
A three-summited mountain in the Ushiro-Tateyama range whose south-facing slopes erupt with Komaкusa and Hakusan Furo in early summer.
A perfectly symmetrical pyramid famed throughout the Alps, with a full panorama of Yarigatake and the Hotaka massif from the summit.
One of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains in the Oku-Chichibu, its primeval forest cradling the headwaters of three river systems, vivid with Shakunage in season.
The northernmost peak of the Kiso range, a forest-clad sacred mountain with stone Buddhas and buried-sutra traditions.
An Ushiro-Tateyama peak famous for its Komaкusa colony, where the approach from Ōzawa opens to a full northern-Alps panorama.
A northern-Alps classic combining Japan's greatest snowfield, sweeping flower meadows, and the optional Hakuba Yari hot spring on a traverse.
Called the Queen of the Alps for its white granite ridge adorned with Komaкusa, the classic gateway mountain to the northern Alps.
A celebrated peak in the Ushiro-Tateyama range rewarding climbers with rocky ridges, alpine flower meadows, and wide-open views.
A southern Yatsugatake rocky-ridge treasure of alpine flora, with a chain-fixed crest continuing the traverse to Akadake and Iogadake.
An elegant isolated peak shaped like a wide-brimmed hat, known above all for the unforgettable sunset Yari-Hotaka view from the mountain hut.
The southernmost of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains, a remote peak where the white limestone Hikari-iwa glows at sunset in the deep southern Alps.
The second-highest peak in the Central Alps after Kisokoma, a demanding granite ridge with views of the southern Alps and Ontake.