National Parks · Nagano, Toyama, Gifu, Niigata
Chubu Sangaku National Park
中部山岳国立公園ちゅうぶさんがくこくりつこうえんChūbu Sangaku Kokuritsu KōenGranite spires, glaciers and snow walls in the heart of Honshu
Chūbu Sangaku National Park protects the Hida Mountains, the Northern Japan Alps, across Nagano, Toyama, Gifu and Niigata. Designated in 1934, it contains many of Japan's highest peaks, including Okuhotaka-dake (3,190 m), Yari-ga-take and Tateyama, the valley of Kamikōchi, the Kurobe Gorge and the first glaciers confirmed in Japan.
Overview
Chūbu Sangaku, literally 'Mountains of Central Japan', covers the Hida Mountains, the highest and most alpine of the three Japanese Alps. The range runs north to south for about 100 km from the Sea of Japan coast near Oyashirazu to Norikura-dake. It includes the Hakuba (Shirouma) peaks, Tateyama and Tsurugi-dake, the deep Kurobe Gorge, the remote plateau of Kumo-no-daira, the pyramid of Yari-ga-take, the granite wall of the Hotaka group and the volcanoes Yake-dake and Norikura.
Designated in 1934 as one of Japan's first national parks, it is the heartland of Japanese mountaineering. A dense network of huts allows traverses of several days along the main ridges, while the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, Kamikōchi and the Shin-Hotaka Ropeway bring large numbers of visitors into the high mountains.
The park combines granite spires, glacial cirques, active volcanoes and deep gorges with an alpine flora and fauna that includes the rock ptarmigan, the symbolic bird of the Japanese Alps. Snowfall on its Sea of Japan side is among the heaviest in the world.
Landscape and formation
The Hida Mountains were uplifted rapidly over the last few million years along great faults, bringing granites and old metamorphic rocks to heights of over 3,000 m. Volcanoes grew on top of them: Tateyama with its caldera and the Midagahara lava plateau, Norikura, and the still active Yake-dake, whose eruption in 1915 dammed the Azusa River to form Taishō-ike in Kamikōchi.
During the Ice Ages, glaciers carved cirques such as Karasawa below the Hotaka peaks and Yama-zaki on Tateyama, and U-shaped valleys like Yarisawa. Today heavy snow from the Sea of Japan feeds large perennial snow valleys, including the Hakuba Daisekkei, and small active glaciers. The Kurobe River has cut one of the deepest V-shaped gorges in Japan between the Tateyama and Ushiro-Tateyama ranges.
Highlights
- 奥穂高岳Okuhotaka-dake
The highest peak of the Northern Alps (3,190 m), crowning the granite Hotaka group above Kamikōchi and the Karasawa cirque.
- 槍ヶ岳Yari-ga-take
The 3,180 m 'spear peak', the Matterhorn of Japan, first climbed by the monk Banryū in 1828.
- 立山Tateyama
A sacred mountain (Ōnanji-yama, 3,015 m) above Murodō, one of Japan's three holy mountains, with Japan's first confirmed glacier.
- 剱岳Tsurugi-dake
A 2,999 m rock peak, often called the hardest of the 100 Famous Mountains, long thought unclimbable.
Kamikōchi
上高地KamikōchiA highland valley on the Azusa River with Kappa-bashi bridge, Taishō-ike and Myōjin-ike, a Special Place of Scenic Beauty and Special Natural Monument.
- 黒部峡谷Kurobe kyōkoku
One of Japan's deepest gorges, explored by the Kurobe Gorge Railway and the Kurobe Dam.
- 称名滝Shōmyō-daki
Japan's highest waterfall at 350 m, falling in four stages from the Midagahara plateau.
- 乗鞍岳Norikura-dake
A 3,026 m volcano whose summit area is reached by bus to Tatamidaira at about 2,700 m.
Nature
Ecology
The park has Japan's largest alpine zone south of Hokkaido. Above the forests of beech, fir and Erman's birch lies a broad belt of dwarf pine, then fell-fields and snowbed meadows that flower in a rush after the snow melts. The Hakuba mountains, where limestone and serpentine occur, are renowned for their exceptional diversity of alpine plants.
The rock ptarmigan, a Special Natural Monument and the prefectural bird of Nagano, Toyama and Gifu, has its main population in the Northern Alps. Other characteristic animals include the Japanese serow, Asian black bear, Japanese macaques that winter in Kamikōchi, and alpine butterflies. Sika deer and macaques moving into the alpine zone are an emerging threat.
Flora
Komakusa
コマクサkomakusaThe 'queen of alpine plants', a pink bleeding heart of bare gravel slopes, flowering in July.
Hakuba alpine flora
白馬連山高山植物帯Hakuba renzan kōzan shokubutsu-taiThe rich alpine flora of the Hakuba peaks, protected as a Special Natural Monument.
Chosenia willow
ケショウヤナギkeshō-yanagiA willow of gravel river beds found in Honshu only in Kamikōchi, far from its main range in Hokkaido and north-east Asia.
Dwarf pine
ハイマツhaimatsuForms dense mats on ridges such as Goshiki-ga-hara and Kumo-no-daira, sheltering ptarmigan.
Fauna
Rock ptarmigan
ライチョウraichōThe emblematic bird of the Japanese Alps, seen around Murodō and on high ridges, white in winter and mottled in summer.
Japanese serow
ニホンカモシカnihon-kamoshikaFrequently seen in Kamikōchi and along forest trails.
Asian black bear
ツキノワグマtsukinowagumaPresent throughout the park, including Kamikōchi.
Japanese macaque
ニホンザルnihonzaruTroops live year-round in Kamikōchi, among the highest-living monkeys in Japan.
Alpine butterflies
Species such as Takane-kimadara-seseri and Takane-hikage live in the high meadows.
Culture
Tateyama has been a holy mountain since, according to legend, Saeki Ariyori opened it in 701 after following a white falcon and a bear. The Tateyama belief, spread by preachers carrying painted Tateyama mandalas showing heaven and hell, made it one of Japan's three holy mountains, and the villages of Ashikuraji and Iwakuraji were its bases. When army surveyors made the first recorded ascent of Tsurugi-dake in 1907, they found a Nara- or Heian-period staff head and sword on the summit, left by an unknown ascetic.
Modern mountaineering in Japan began here. The monk Banryū opened a route up Yari-ga-take in 1828; Walter Weston's climbs and books in the 1890s introduced the 'Japanese Alps' to the world and inspired the founding of the Japanese Alpine Club in 1905. The damming of the Kurobe River, completed in 1963 at the cost of many lives, is a landmark of post-war engineering, retold in the film Kurobe no Taiyō.
Oyama Shrine
雄山神社Oyama-jinjaShrine with its innermost sanctuary on the summit of Oyama (Tateyama) and lower shrines at Ashikuraji and Iwakuraji.
Tateyama Museum
立山博物館Tateyama HakubutsukanToyama prefectural museum at Ashikuraji on Tateyama faith and mandalas.
Weston Relief
ウェストン碑Weston-hiA bronze relief of Walter Weston on a rock in Kamikōchi, site of the Weston Festival.
Kurobe Dam
黒部ダムKurobe damuJapan's highest dam (186 m), completed in 1963, with seasonal water discharge.
History
701 (legend)
Saeki Ariyori opens Tateyama as a sacred mountain.
1828
The monk Banryū reaches the summit of Yari-ga-take.
1896
Walter Weston publishes Mountaineering and Exploration in the Japanese Alps.
1907
Army surveyors make the first recorded ascent of Tsurugi-dake and find ancient ritual objects.
1915
An eruption of Yake-dake dams the Azusa River, creating Taishō-ike.
1934
Chūbu Sangaku National Park is designated on 4 December.
1952
Kamikōchi is designated a Special Place of Scenic Beauty and Special Natural Monument.
1963
The Kurobe Dam is completed.
1971
The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route is fully opened.
2012
Glaciers on Tateyama and Tsurugi-dake are confirmed; the Midagahara–Daibira wetlands are listed under the Ramsar Convention.
Through the seasons
Spring
The Alpine Route opens in April through the snow walls of Yuki-no-Ōtani; Kamikōchi opens in late April with the mountains still white.
Summer
The main climbing season from July to September, with alpine flowers peaking in July and snow valleys such as the Hakuba Daisekkei; huts are crowded on holidays.
Autumn
Colours begin at Karasawa and Kumo-no-daira in late September, reaching Kamikōchi and the Kurobe Gorge in October; the first snow falls on the ridges.
Winter
The high mountains are closed to all but expert winter climbers; Kamikōchi and the Alpine Route are shut, while ski resorts operate at Hakuba and Hirayu.
Routes and trails
Kamikōchi valley walk
An easy riverside walk from Taishō-ike via Kappa-bashi to Myōjin-ike and Tokusawa, with views of the Hotaka peaks.
Yari-ga-take from Kamikōchi
A two- to three-day route up the Yarisawa valley to the hut below the spire and the final ladders and chains.
Karasawa and Okuhotaka-dake
From Kamikōchi to the Karasawa cirque, then over the Zaitengrat ridge to the summit; for experienced climbers.
Tateyama traverse from Murodō
A day circuit over Oyama, Ōnanji-yama and Masago-dake, with views of Tsurugi-dake and the glaciers.
Hakuba Daisekkei
A climb up one of Japan's largest snow valleys to Shirouma-dake, usually with crampons.
Kurobe Gorge Railway
A narrow-gauge line from Unazuki deep into the gorge, open from spring to autumn.
Practical notes
- Matsumoto (JR Chūō Line and Nagano Expressway) is the gateway to Kamikōchi; Toyama and Ōmachi to the Alpine Route; Takayama and Hirayu to the Shin-Hotaka Ropeway and Norikura; Hakuba to the northern peaks.
- Private cars are banned from Kamikōchi and the Norikura Skyline; use shuttle buses from Sawando, Hirayu or Norikura Kōgen.
- Altitude, thunderstorms, rockfall and exposed ridges make many routes serious; carry proper equipment and file a climbing plan with the prefecture.
- Mountain huts are busy on weekends and holidays; book ahead and bring cash.
- Do not feed monkeys in Kamikōchi and watch for bears on valley trails.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kamikōchi?
A flat valley at about 1,500 m on the Azusa River, surrounded by the Hotaka peaks and the volcano Yake-dake. It is the main gateway to the southern Northern Alps and is closed to private cars; visitors arrive by bus or taxi from Sawando or Hirayu. The valley is open from late April to mid-November.
What is the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route?
A route across the Northern Alps between Toyama and Ōmachi in Nagano, using railway, cable cars, buses, a ropeway and a trolley bus, fully opened in 1971. It passes Murodō, at 2,450 m, and the Kurobe Dam. In spring it runs between walls of snow up to about 20 m high.
Are there really glaciers in Japan?
Yes. In 2012 perennial snow patches on Tateyama and Tsurugi-dake were confirmed to be moving glaciers, the first recognised in Japan; further glaciers in the Northern Alps have been confirmed since.
Who was Walter Weston?
An English missionary who climbed widely in the Northern Alps in the 1890s and wrote Mountaineering and Exploration in the Japanese Alps (1896). He is honoured with a relief in Kamikōchi and the annual Weston Festival in early June.
Which peaks can beginners reach?
Easy high-altitude walks include the Murodō plateau on Tateyama, the Norikura summit area from the Tatamidaira bus terminal and the ridges above the Shin-Hotaka Ropeway. Peaks such as Yari-ga-take, the Hotaka group and Tsurugi-dake require mountaineering experience.
Related
Sources
- 1.中部山岳国立公園 (opens in a new tab) — 環境省
- 2.国立公園の概要 (opens in a new tab) — 環境省
- 3.Chubu-Sangaku National Park (opens in a new tab) — Ministry of the Environment, Japan
- 4.文化遺産オンライン (opens in a new tab) — 文化庁