Japan's 100 Famous Mountains (Nihon Hyakumeizan): Complete List, Map & How to Start
Nihon Hyakumeizan, Japan's 100 Famous Mountains, is the country's best-loved hiking list: 100 peaks chosen by the writer and mountaineer Kyuya Fukada for his 1964 book. This guide gives the complete official list with number, elevation and prefecture, explains how the peaks were chosen, and links to a regional guide for every area.
How the 100 peaks were chosen
Kyuya Fukada selected 100 mountains he had actually climbed, using three criteria: dignity (hinkaku), history and individuality. As a rule he looked for peaks of about 1,500 m or higher, with exceptions such as Mt. Tsukuba (877 m) and Mt. Kaimon (924 m). His essays were serialized in the magazine Yama to Kogen from 1959, and the book was first published by Shinchosha in July 1964. It won the Yomiuri Prize for Literature the following year, and climbing all 100 has been a popular lifelong goal in Japan ever since.
The highest and the lowest
The highest of the 100 is Mt. Fuji at 3,776 m, followed by Mt. Kita (3,193 m) and Hotaka Range (3,190 m). The lowest is Mt. Tsukuba at 877 m. The list spans Hokkaido in the north to Yakushima in the south.
Hokkaido: 9 peaks (No. 1–9)
1. Mt. Rishiri (利尻岳) — 1,721 m, Hokkaido 2. Mt. Rausu (羅臼岳) — 1,660 m, Hokkaido 3. Mt. Shari (斜里岳) — 1,547 m, Hokkaido 4. Mt. Meakan (阿寒岳) — 1,499 m, Hokkaido 5. Daisetsuzan (Mt. Asahi) (大雪山) — 2,291 m, Hokkaido 6. Mt. Tomuraushi (トムラウシ) — 2,141 m, Hokkaido 7. Mt. Tokachi (十勝岳) — 2,077 m, Hokkaido 8. Mt. Poroshiri (幌尻岳) — 2,052 m, Hokkaido 9. Mt. Yotei (後方羊蹄山) — 1,898 m, Hokkaido
Tohoku: 14 peaks (No. 10–23)
10. Mt. Iwaki (岩木山) — 1,625 m, Aomori 11. Hakkoda Mountains (八甲田山) — 1,584 m, Aomori 12. Mt. Hachimantai (八幡平) — 1,614 m, Iwate / Akita 13. Mt. Iwate (岩手山) — 2,038 m, Iwate 14. Mt. Hayachine (早池峰) — 1,917 m, Iwate 15. Mt. Chokai (鳥海山) — 2,236 m, Akita / Yamagata 16. Mt. Gassan (月山) — 1,984 m, Yamagata 17. Mt. Asahi (Yamagata) (朝日岳) — 1,870 m, Yamagata / Niigata 18. Mt. Zao (蔵王山) — 1,841 m, Miyagi / Yamagata 19. Mt. Iide (飯豊山) — 2,128 m, Yamagata / Fukushima / Niigata 20. Mt. Azuma (吾妻山) — 2,035 m, Yamagata / Fukushima 21. Mt. Adatara (安達太良山) — 1,709 m, Fukushima 22. Mt. Bandai (磐梯山) — 1,816 m, Fukushima 23. Mt. Aizu-Komagatake (会津駒ヶ岳) — 2,133 m, Fukushima
Northern Kanto & Echigo: 20 peaks (No. 24–43)
24. Mt. Nasu (那須岳) — 1,917 m, Fukushima / Tochigi 25. Mt. Echigo-Komagatake (魚沼駒ヶ岳) — 2,003 m, Niigata 26. Mt. Hiragatake (平ヶ岳) — 2,141 m, Niigata / Gunma 27. Mt. Makihata (巻機山) — 1,967 m, Niigata / Gunma 28. Mt. Hiuchigatake (燧岳) — 2,356 m, Fukushima 29. Mt. Shibutsu (至仏山) — 2,228 m, Gunma 30. Mt. Tanigawa (谷川岳) — 1,977 m, Niigata / Gunma 31. Mt. Amakazari (雨飾山) — 1,963 m, Niigata / Nagano 32. Mt. Naeba (苗場山) — 2,145 m, Niigata / Nagano 33. Mt. Myoko (妙高山) — 2,454 m, Niigata 34. Mt. Hiuchi (火打山) — 2,462 m, Niigata 35. Mt. Takatsuma (高妻山) — 2,353 m, Niigata / Nagano 36. Mt. Nantai (男体山) — 2,486 m, Tochigi 37. Mt. Nikko-Shirane (奥白根山) — 2,578 m, Tochigi / Gunma 38. Mt. Sukai (皇海山) — 2,144 m, Tochigi / Gunma 39. Mt. Hotaka (Gunma) (武尊山) — 2,158 m, Gunma 40. Mt. Akagi (赤城山) — 1,828 m, Gunma 41. Mt. Kusatsu-Shirane (草津白根山) — 2,171 m, Gunma 42. Mt. Azumaya (四阿山) — 2,354 m, Gunma / Nagano 43. Mt. Asama (浅間山) — 2,568 m, Gunma / Nagano
Northern Alps: 16 peaks (No. 45–60)
45. Mt. Shirouma (白馬岳) — 2,932 m, Nagano / Toyama 46. Mt. Goryu (五竜岳) — 2,814 m, Nagano / Toyama 47. Mt. Kashimayari (鹿島槍岳) — 2,889 m, Nagano / Toyama 48. Mt. Tsurugi (Toyama) (剱岳) — 2,999 m, Toyama 49. Mt. Tateyama (立山本峰) — 3,015 m, Toyama 50. Mt. Yakushi (薬師岳) — 2,926 m, Toyama 51. Mt. Kurobegoro (黒部五郎岳) — 2,840 m, Toyama / Gifu 52. Mt. Suisho (Kuro-dake) (黒岳) — 2,986 m, Toyama 53. Mt. Washiba (鷲羽岳) — 2,924 m, Nagano / Toyama 54. Mt. Yari (槍ヶ岳) — 3,180 m, Nagano / Gifu 55. Hotaka Range (穂高岳) — 3,190 m, Nagano / Gifu 56. Mt. Jonen (常念岳) — 2,857 m, Nagano 57. Mt. Kasa (笠ヶ岳) — 2,897 m, Gifu 58. Mt. Yake (焼岳) — 2,455 m, Nagano / Gifu 59. Mt. Norikura (乗鞍岳) — 3,026 m, Nagano / Gifu 60. Mt. Ontake (御嶽山) — 3,067 m, Nagano / Gifu
Central Alps & Yatsugatake: 7 peaks (No. 61–64, 74–76)
61. Utsukushigahara Plateau (美ヶ原) — 2,034 m, Nagano 62. Mt. Kirigamine (霧ヶ峰) — 1,925 m, Nagano 63. Mt. Tateshina (蓼科山) — 2,530 m, Nagano 64. Yatsugatake (八ヶ岳) — 2,899 m, Nagano / Yamanashi 74. Mt. Kisokoma (木曽駒ヶ岳) — 2,956 m, Nagano 75. Mt. Utsugi (空木岳) — 2,864 m, Nagano 76. Mt. Ena (恵那山) — 2,191 m, Nagano / Gifu
Southern Alps: 10 peaks (No. 77–86)
77. Mt. Kaikoma (甲斐駒ヶ岳) — 2,967 m, Yamanashi / Nagano 78. Mt. Senjo (仙丈岳) — 3,033 m, Yamanashi / Nagano 79. Mt. Hoo (鳳凰山) — 2,840 m, Yamanashi 80. Mt. Kita (北岳) — 3,193 m, Yamanashi 81. Mt. Aino (間ノ岳) — 3,190 m, Yamanashi / Shizuoka 82. Mt. Shiomi (塩見岳) — 3,052 m, Nagano / Shizuoka 83. Mt. Warusawa (Higashi-dake) (悪沢岳) — 3,141 m, Nagano / Shizuoka 84. Mt. Akaishi (赤石岳) — 3,120 m, Nagano / Shizuoka 85. Mt. Hijiri (聖岳) — 3,013 m, Nagano / Shizuoka 86. Mt. Tekari (光岳) — 2,591 m, Nagano / Shizuoka
Fuji & Kanto Day Hikes: 10 peaks (No. 44, 65–73)
44. Mt. Tsukuba (筑波山) — 877 m, Ibaraki 65. Mt. Ryokami (両神山) — 1,723 m, Saitama 66. Mt. Kumotori (雲取山) — 2,017 m, Saitama / Tokyo / Yamanashi 67. Mt. Kobushi (甲武信岳) — 2,475 m, Saitama / Nagano / Yamanashi 68. Mt. Kinpu (金峰山) — 2,599 m, Nagano / Yamanashi 69. Mt. Mizugaki (瑞牆山) — 2,230 m, Yamanashi 70. Mt. Daibosatsu (大菩薩岳) — 2,057 m, Yamanashi 71. Mt. Tanzawa (丹沢山) — 1,673 m, Kanagawa 72. Mt. Fuji (富士山) — 3,776 m, Yamanashi / Shizuoka 73. Mt. Amagi (天城山) — 1,405 m, Shizuoka
Kansai to Kyushu: 14 peaks (No. 87–100)
87. Mt. Haku (白山) — 2,702 m, Gifu / Ishikawa 88. Mt. Arashima (荒島岳) — 1,523 m, Fukui 89. Mt. Ibuki (伊吹山) — 1,377 m, Gifu / Shiga 90. Mt. Odaigahara (大台ヶ原山) — 1,695 m, Mie / Nara 91. Mt. Omine (大峰山) — 1,915 m, Nara 92. Mt. Daisen (大山) — 1,729 m, Tottori 93. Mt. Tsurugi (Tokushima) (剣山) — 1,955 m, Tokushima 94. Mt. Ishizuchi (石鎚山) — 1,982 m, Ehime 95. Mt. Kuju (九重山) — 1,791 m, Oita 96. Mt. Sobo (祖母山) — 1,756 m, Oita / Miyazaki 97. Mt. Aso (阿蘇山) — 1,592 m, Kumamoto 98. Mt. Kirishima (霧島山) — 1,700 m, Miyazaki / Kagoshima 99. Mt. Kaimon (開聞岳) — 924 m, Kagoshima 100. Mt. Miyanoura (Yakushima) (宮ノ浦岳) — 1,936 m, Kagoshima
How to start
You do not need to climb all 100. Pick two or three peaks that match your experience: a mountain with a ropeway or short summit walk first, then a moderate day hike, and a serious alpine route only if you already hike regularly. Check the season for each region, because snow remains on high routes into early summer and the Japan Alps summer season is short. Reserve mountain huts well ahead for peak weekends, carry rain gear and a headlamp, and register your climbing plan before each hike.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who chose the 100 Famous Mountains?
The writer and mountaineer Kyuya Fukada, for his 1964 book Nihon Hyakumeizan. He picked peaks he had climbed, judged on dignity, history and individuality.
What is the highest of the 100?
Mt. Fuji (富士山) at 3,776 m.
Do I need to climb all 100?
No. Most hikers climb only a handful. Treat the list as a menu and choose peaks that fit your fitness and timing.
Is there an official stamp rally for the 100 mountains?
There is no single official stamp rally like the castle one. Many hikers collect summit photos and souvenirs instead.
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