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
A North Yatsugatake peak accessible by ropeway, characteristically fringed with the wave-pattern dead-tree phenomenon and the lava-field Tsuboniwa garden.
The premier viewpoint of the Jonen range, with a full panorama of Yari and the Hotaka massif from the summit.
Called the Queen of the Alps for its white granite ridge adorned with Komaкusa, the classic gateway mountain to the northern Alps.
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.
An Ushiro-Tateyama peak famous for its Komaкusa colony, where the approach from Ōzawa opens to a full northern-Alps panorama.
A perfectly symmetrical pyramid famed throughout the Alps, with a full panorama of Yarigatake and the Hotaka massif from the summit.
A northern-Alps classic combining Japan's greatest snowfield, sweeping flower meadows, and the optional Hakuba Yari hot spring on a traverse.
An active volcano straddling the Nagano-Gunma border, with a spectacular crater-rim view from Kurofuyama on the outer caldera.
A twin-peaked mountain famed for its silhouette and the golden autumn grass of Sasadaira, Echigo's flower and foliage gem.
A soaring cluster of peaks led by Okuhotakadake, Japan's third-highest, spectacular for summer alpine flora and Karasawa's autumn foliage.
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.
A celebrated peak in the Ushiro-Tateyama range rewarding climbers with rocky ridges, alpine flower meadows, and wide-open views.
The fourth-highest peak in the southern Alps, a massive mountain that embodies the name of the Akaishi range.
An elegant isolated peak shaped like a wide-brimmed hat, known above all for the unforgettable sunset Yari-Hotaka view from the mountain hut.
One of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains standing alone in the central southern Alps, a deep-mountain panorama that rewards the long approach over Sanbutu Pass.
A 3,000-meter peak deep in the southern Alps, captivating climbers with untouched primeval forest and majestic mountain scenery.
A high tri-prefecture-border peak on the ridge to Sukurodake, sweeping Yari, Hotaka, and the Kurobe headwaters in one view.
A southern Yatsugatake rocky-ridge treasure of alpine flora, with a chain-fixed crest continuing the traverse to Akadake and Iogadake.
The Spear of the Northern Alps, whose thrusting summit silhouette is the symbol of Japan's high mountains and the aspiration of countless climbers.
The centerpiece of the Ura-Ginza traverse, where the Washiba-ike pond just below the summit with Yarigatake behind it is the route's finest scene.
The crowning peak of the Yatsugatake range, rewarding climbers with a rocky ridge and a sweeping 360-degree panorama.
A graceful twin-peaked mountain in the Ushiro-Tateyama range that holds Japan's only confirmed glaciers, with superb summer wildflowers.
The northernmost peak of the Kiso range, a forest-clad sacred mountain with stone Buddhas and buried-sutra traditions.
A demanding peak deep in the Akiyamago valley, treasured for quiet views of Naebasan and the Tanigawa range.
A Togakushi sacred ridge climbed via the Mune-tsuki-Hacchō pitch, with a final rocky crest opening to a grand panorama.
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.
Called the second Tanigawa-dake of the remote Akiyamago, this peak tests experts with the Razor Rock and the precipitous Kamiori Ridge.
The second-highest peak in the Central Alps after Kisokoma, a demanding granite ridge with views of the southern Alps and Ontake.