Outstanding Mountain Landscape that Represents Japan
—Breathtaking mountains, beautiful valleys and rock ptarmigans
Date of Designation: December 4, 1934
Area: 174,323 ha
Related Prefectures: Niigata, Toyama, Nagano, Gifu
Established in 1934 as one of the first national parks, Chubusangaku National Park is a mountainous park that represents the nation with a string of mountains dominating the entire Northern Alps.
The park consists of some of Japan's most famous mountains rising 3,000 m above sea level from north to south, including the Ushiro-Tateyama Mountain Range with Mt. Shirouma as the highest peak, the Tateyama Mountain Range with Mt. Tsurugi and Mt. Tateyama, the Hotaka Mountain Range with Mt. Yarigatake, and Mt. Norikura located at south end of the park.
From steep rock cliffs, deep and precipitous valleys, alpine belts, rock ptarmigans, a blanket of snow over the valleys that lingers till summer months, glacier-eroded U-shaped valleys, lakes, and lava plateaus formed by volcanoes create a great variety of mountain landscapes to captivate many climbers.
In addition, the trailheads in Kamikochi, Murodo on Mt. Tateyama, and Tatamidaira on Mt. Norikura offer great accessibility using public transportation, and visitors can take enjoyment in gazing upon imposing mountain landscapes and alpine plants.