Mt. Fujisato-Komagatake Summit

At 1,158 meters, this summit looks out over one of the largest old-growth beech forests remaining in Japan. On clear days, Mt. Iwaki rises to the northeast and the Shirakami Sanchi core zone spreads to the west. That forest became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993 and has been largely untouched for over 8,000 years, protected partly by its remote terrain and steep slopes. Winter hunters called matagi, who tracked deer and bear through these mountains, were among the few humans to venture deep into the forest, and a small number continue their traditional practices today.