Yatsugatake Mountains
The Yatsugatake Mountains are a volcanic mountain range on the island of Honshū, Japan. They sit on the border between Nagano and Yamanashi prefectures in the Chūbu region. The range is about 30 kilometers long, and its highest point is Mount Aka at 2,899 meters.
Two volcanic groups make up Yatsugatake: the Northern Yatsugatake and the Southern Yatsugatake. The northern peaks are gentler and lower, while the southern peaks are steeper and more alpine. The mountains are part of the Yatsugatake-Chūshin Kōgen Quasi-National Park.
The mountains formed from old volcanoes that eroded over time. The last eruption was about 600 to 800 years ago at Mount Yoko in the north, which is now the only volcano in the range that might still be active; the others are extinct. The rocks are mainly pyroxene andesite.
Deciduous forests grow from the base up to about 1,700–2,000 meters. Above that is the subalpine zone, which reaches up to about 2,500 meters and is home to Siberian dwarf pine. A rare spruce, Picea koyamae, grows on Mount Nishi below 1,700 meters. The area is also home to Rock Ptarmigan, but they are threatened by habitat loss and the spread of red fox, which has increased because people leave trash in the mountains. Abies veitchii and Abies mariesii trees are found in the subalpine zone.
Legend says Yatsugatake was once higher than Mount Fuji, but the goddess Konohanasakuya-hime tore it down, leaving the peaks we see today.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 19:51 (CET).