Mount Yari


Mount Yari is one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains. The peak lies in the southern part of the Hida Mountains of Japan, on the border of Ōmachi and Matsumoto in Nagano Prefecture and Takayama in Gifu Prefecture. The priest Banryū founded a temple there. The headwater of Japan's longest river, the Shinano River, begins here as the Azusa River.

History

Mount Yari is located in the Chūbu-Sangaku National Park. The name derives from its shape, which resembles a spear thrust into the sky. Because of its shape, it is also called the Matterhorn of Japan. Ridges and valleys reach out from this pyramid-shaped mountain in all directions. The four ridges are Higashikama, Yarihotaka, Nishikama and Kitakama to the east, south, west and north, respectively. The four valleys are Yarizawa, Hidazawa or Yaridaira, Senjōzawa and Tenjōzawa to the southeast, southwest, northwest and northeast, respectively.
During the hiking season, Mount Yari is popular with mountain climbers. One of the most infamous ridges is Kitakama. It became known through its association with mountaineer Buntarō Katō, who was a model for the novel Kokō no Hito, by Jirō Nitta, and it's manga adaptation of the same name by Shinichi Sakamoto. The disaster of Akira Matsunami told in Fūsetsu no Bibāku also contributed to its fame.
Despite the existence of variation routes, climbers stand in line for the famous routes during the summer. In the autumn of 2005, a new mountain trail was constructed going up from Hidarimata Valley to Mount Okumaru. This made it possible to reach Yari-ga-take walking from Shinhodaka onsen upstream along the Hidarimata Valley following the mountain ridge of Mount Okumaru.
Two triangulation points were established at the summit. A milepost stone is fixed to the ground. As a reference point for the Geographical Survey Institute of Japan, it is of little importance and even on topographic maps, the summit of Yari-ga-take appears merely as an elevation point.

Surroundings

There are several mountain huts in the vicinity of the mountain:
Yari-ga-take Sansō, Sesshō Hut, Hut Ōyari, Yarisawa Lodge, Yaridaira-goya and
Wasabidaira-goya. Being situated in the Japanese Alps, several prominent mountains can be reached from Mount Yari, among them:
Sugoroku-dake, Nishi-dake, Ōgui-dake, Naka-dake, Minami-dake, Okumaru-yama.

Main ascent routes

;Higashikama ridge
;Nishikama ridge
;Yarisawa route
;Yaridaira route
;Wasabidaira route
;Kitakama ridge
;Yarihotaka traverse route