Mount Sobo 祖母山 Mount Sobo is one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains. The 1,756 m high mountain lies on the border of Taketa and Bungo-ōno in Ōita Prefecture and Takachiho, Nishiusuki District in Miyazaki Prefecture. It is the highest peak in Miyazaki Prefecture. In Ōita Prefecture only the 1,791 m middle peak of Mount [...]

Mount Ōmine 大峰山   Mount Ōmine 大峰山, is a sacred mountain in Nara, Japan, famous for its three tests of courage.  Officially known as Mount Sanjō (山上ヶ岳), it is more popularly known as Mount Ōmine due to its prominence in the Ōmine mountain range. It is located in Yoshino-Kumano National Park in the Kansai region, [...]

Mount Kirishima 霧島山Mount Kirishima 霧島山  is a 1700 meter high active volcano group in Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan. Numerous eruptions have been recorded since 742. Very strong eruptions happened in 788, 1716 and 1717. The highest peak is Mount Karakuni (韓国岳) (1700 m). Other peaks are Takachihonomine (高千穂峰) (1573 m) and Shinmoedake (新燃岳), both active volcanos. [...]

Mount Ishizuchi 石鎚山Mount Ishizuchi 石鎚山 is a 1,982 metres high mountain on the border of Saijō and Kumakōgen, in Ehime, Japan. This mountain is one of the 100 famous mountains in Japan. It is the tallest mountain in Western Japan.Mount Ishizuchi is the highest mountain on the island of Shikoku and also the highest mountain [...]

Mount Ibuki 伊吹山 Mount Ibuki 伊吹山 is a 1,377 m (4,518 ft) high mountain, on the border of Maibara, Shiga Prefecture, and Ibigawa, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It is one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains, and is also included on the lists of the 100 Kinki Mountains the 50 Shiga Mountains. Mount Ibuki is the [...]

Mount Aso 阿蘇山 Mount Aso is the largest active volcano in Japan, and is among the largest in the world. It stands in Aso Kujū National Park in Kumamoto Prefecture, on the island of Kyūshū. Its peak is 1592 m above sea level. Aso has one of the largest caldera in the world (25 km [...]

Ginkaku-ji 銀閣寺 Ashikaga Yoshimasa initiated plans for creating a retirement villa and gardens as early as 1460; and after his death, Yoshimasa would arrange for this property to become a Zen temple. The official name is Jishō-ji (慈照寺) or the “Temple of Shining Mercy.” The temple is today associated with the Shokoku-ji branch of Rinzai [...]

Daisen 大山 Daisen is a complex volcano, made by repeated volcanic activity over thousands of years. Eruptions in this area started 1.8 million years ago and resulted in Old Daisen some 500,000 years ago. The Daisen of today, New Daisen, resulted from a second group of eruptions which started 50,000 years ago and ended 10,000 years [...]

Gangō-ji 元興寺 The original foundation of the temple was by Soga no Umako in Asuka, as Asuka-dera. The temple was moved to Nara in 718, following the capital relocation to Heijō-kyō. Gangō-ji initially held as much as seven halls and pagodas on its complex ground, which occupied a wide area within what is now Naramachi, [...]

Fushimi Inari Taisha 伏見稲荷大社 The shrine sits at the base of a mountain also named Inari, and includes trails up the mountain to many smaller shrines.Since in early Japan Inari was seen as the patron of business, each of the Torii is donated by a Japanese business. First and foremost though, Inari is the god of [...]