Summit of Mt. Kodake

The summit of Mt. Kodake (1,042 m) sits within the Shirakami Sanchi wilderness in Akita Prefecture, surrounded by primeval beech forest with no roads or structures interrupting the view. From the top, several neighboring peaks are visible: Mt. Futatsumori to the west, Mt. Shirakamidake to the northwest, and the distant Mt. Iwaki to the northeast. The summit hosts an unusual botanical curiosity: a stand of Siberian dwarf pine, a hardy alpine conifer normally found above 2,000 meters elsewhere in Japan. This population, growing at just over 1,000 meters, is the lowest-elevation stand in the country. Pink trailing arbutus and fringed galax add color in spring and summer.