The Hotaka Mountain Range

The Hotaka range forms the core of Chubusangaku National Park and includes eight of Japan's 21 peaks above 3,000 meters. Mt. Yarigatake, with its sharp pyramidal summit, is the most iconic of these and earned the nickname Japan's Matterhorn. The mountains were shaped by granite upthrust and then carved by glaciers about 10,000 years ago, leaving the U-shaped valleys visible on the mountain faces today. This range is also considered the birthplace of Japanese mountaineering; an ascetic monk made the first recorded ascent of Yarigatake in the 18th century. A network of mountain huts and maintained trails makes the range accessible to hikers at varying levels.