Akaishi Mountains


Akaishi Mountains is a mountain range in central Honshū, Japan, bordering Nagano, Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures. It is also called the Southern Alps, as it joins with the Hida Mountains and the Kiso Mountains to form the Japanese Alps.

Origin of the name

There are a lot of red stones around the Akaishi River, a tributary of the Ōi River in the southern part of Southern Alps. Then it was said that the mountain of red stone came to be called Mount Akaishi. The mountain represents the mountain range and the name Akaishi is used for the whole range mountain range, Akaishi Mountains.

Major peaks

Almost all major peaks of the Akaishi Mountains are in Minami Alps National Park that was established on June 1, 1964.
The range is the source of two rivers, Ōi River and Tenryū River, which flow to the Pacific Ocean.
in early winter
ImageMountainHeightNote
Mt. Hōō100 Famous
Mt. Nokogiri200 Famous
Mt. Kaikoma100 Famous
Mt. Senjō100 Famous
Mt. Kitathe highest mountain
in Akaishi Mountains
100 Famous
Mt. Aino100 Famous
Mt. Nōtori200 Famous
Mt. Shiomi100 Famous
Mt. Warusawa100 Famous
Mt. Akaishi100 Famous
Mt. Hijiri100 Famous
Mt. Tekari100 Famous

Panorama

Flora and fauna

, such as Siberian dwarf pine can be seen above the tree line. Rock ptarmigan and spotted nutcracker also live in the alpine zone. Japanese serow and sika deer live in the forest belt on the mountain slopes. Callianthemum hondoense is endemic to Mount Kita.

Walter Weston in the Japanese Alps

Englishman Walter Weston introduced the Western world to the Japanese Alps in his book Mountaineering and Exploring in the Japanese Alps. During his visits to Japan, he climbed Akaishi Mountains. Several monuments in his memory have been set up in several places in the Japanese Alps.
He climbed the following peaks: