Mt. Kitadake

Mt. Kitadake, at 3,193 meters, is Japan's second highest peak after Mt. Fuji, and holds the country's highest timberline at 2,700 meters. The Kitadake Buttress on the eastern flank, a 600-meter vertical wall, is Japan's highest rock face. Alpine wildflowers are at their peak in the meadows in July and August. The summit takes in Mt. Fuji to the southeast and Japan's third highest peak, Mt. Ainodake, to the south. The standard Hirogawara trailhead starts at 1,550 meters; from Shirane-oike Hut at 2,200 meters, three route options lead to the summit. Note that the faster Okanbasawa route has been closed since a bridge washed out in 2022.