, also written as 飯綱山 (Iizuna-yama), is a mountain located ten kilometers north-northwest of the heart of Nagano,

Nagano Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,052,493 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture to the north, Gunma Prefecture to the ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

. The mountain straddles the city of Nagano and Iizuna town in

Kamiminochi District, Nagano is a district located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, the district has an estimated population of 23,774. As a result of mergers the total area of the district is now 282.65 km2. Towns and villages *Iizuna * Shinano *Ogawa Merg ...

. Together with 1875.0 m, 1748 m, and others, it forms the Iizuna range. It has an

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § ...

of 1,917 metres. Mount Iizuna is located with

Myōkō-Togakushi Renzan National Park is a national park in Niigata Prefecture and Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Established in 2015, and formerly part of Jōshin'etsu-kōgen National Park, the park comprises an area of in the municipalities of Itoigawa and Myōkō in Niigata Prefec ...

, and is one of the "

Five Mountains of Northern Shinshu The Five Mountains of Northern Shinshu () or Five Mountains of Northern Nagano Prefecture are the traditionally distinctive mountains that can be seen in the northern Nagano Prefecture. They are: Mount Iizuna, Mt. lizuna (飯縄山, 1917 mete ...

" ( 北信五岳) that also includes

Mount Myōkō is an active stratovolcano in Honshu, Japan. It is situated at the southwest of Myōkō city, Niigata Prefecture, and a part of Jōshin'etsu-kōgen National Park. Mount Myōkō is listed as one of 100 Famous Japanese Mountains, and together w ...

, Mount Kurohime,

Mount Togakushi Mount Togakushi () is located in the former village of Togakushi, now located within the city of Nagano, Nagano, Japan. The mountain is 1904 meters (6247 ft) high. Mount Togakushi has traditionally been included in the Five Mountains of Northern ...

, and

Mount Madarao Mount Madarao () is located between Iiyama and Shinano, Nagano, Japan. It is 1382 meters (4534 ft) high. Mount Madarao has traditionally been included in the Five Mountains of Northern Shinshu. Compared to other mountains (Iizuna 1917 meters, Tog ...

. The mountain is one of the 200 most famous mountains in Japan (日本二百名山 Nihon 200 meizan), and one of the 100 most famous mountains in Nagano (信州百名山). This mountain is a sacred site for mountain-based religious sects such as Shugendo, and said to be the home of a ''

tengu are a type of legendary creature found in Japanese folk religion (Shinto). They are considered a type of '' yōkai'' (supernatural beings) or Shinto ''kami'' (gods). The ''Tengu'' were originally thought to take the forms of birds of prey and ...

'' named Saburō. According to legend, there was once a strange, edible sand somewhere on the mountain, which the ''tengu'' would distribute in times of poor harvest. At the entrances of the hiking trails, there are several

torii A is a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred. The presence of a ''torii'' at the entrance is usually the simple ...

and

komainu , often called lion-dogs in English, are statue pairs of lion-like creatures either guarding the entrance or the ''honden'', or inner shrine of many Japanese Shinto shrines or kept inside the inner shrine itself, where they are not visible to the ...

, the South Trail includes 13 stone Buddhas, and there is a shrine located near the summit.Mt. Iizuna “Revered Mountain” Course

accessed Sept 24 2022

Leisure activities

Hiking

The mountain has popular hiking trails, which can be hiked in all seasons (with appropriate gear in winter), leading to the summit in approximately 2-2.5 hours depending on fitness level. The begins at the , which is approximately 14 km from

Nagano Station is a railway station in the city of Nagano in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. The station is operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and the private railway operator Nagano Electric Railway (Nagaden). Lines Nagano Station is served by the f ...

and can be reached by car or public bus run by Alpico Kōtsū. Parking is available. The bus stop is in front of Nagano Country Club. From the Izuna Trailhead (1,126m), the trail rises to 1,917m over approximately 4 km of hiking. There are no chains or ladders on the trail, and little technical skill is required.Nagano Trail Guide by Grade

accessed Aug 26 2022 Another popular trail, leaves from the village of Togakushi, Nagano, Togakushi, at an elevation of 1,225m. It meets the main South Trail at an elevation of 1,840 m at the . The summit provides 360° degree views, including panoramic views of Nagano City,

Mount Takatsuma at straddles the border between Nagano and Niigata prefectures, in the northwest of the city of Nagano and southwest of the city of Myōkō (Niigata Prefecture), and is also the boundary between the Kanto and Chubu regional offices of the ...

, one of the

100 Famous Japanese Mountains is a book written in 1964 by mountaineer and author Kyūya Fukada.Hyakumeizan, Hiking Japan!
. Japa ...

, and Mount Kurohime throughout year; and especially in winter, the

Hida Mountains The , or , is a Japanese mountain range which stretches through Nagano, Toyama and Gifu prefectures. A small portion of the mountains also reach into Niigata Prefecture. William Gowland coined the phrase "Japanese Alps" during his time in Japa ...

, Yatsugatake Mountains, and

Mount Fuji , or Fugaku, located on the island of Honshū, is the highest mountain in Japan, with a summit elevation of . It is the second-highest volcano located on an island in Asia (after Mount Kerinci on the island of Sumatra), and seventh-highest ...

can be seen. Note, however, that specialty gear, including crampons, are required in winter. From the summit, it is also possible to ascend from or descend to Togakushi via Mount Menō (瑪瑙山) (1748m) and Togakushi Ski Field. Another possible descent is via Mount Reisenji (霊仙寺山) (1875m) towards the .

Skiing

The mountain is also a popular area for

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( ...

and is where the bobsleigh and luge track for the

1998 Winter Olympics The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 ( ja, 長野1998), was a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Japan, with some events taking place in th ...

is located.

Freestyle skiing Freestyle skiing is a skiing discipline comprising aerials, moguls, cross, half-pipe, slopestyle and big air as part of the Winter Olympics. It can consist of a skier performing aerial flips and spins and can include skiers sliding rails an ...

events for these olympics took place at Iizuna Resort (いいずなリゾートスキー場) on the eastern slopes of the mountain in the town of Iizuna.Iizuna Resort

accessed Sept 24 2022 The resort also hosted events during the

2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games ) , caption = , host_city = Nagano, Nagano, Nippon , nations = 84 , athletes = 2,600 , events = 79 in 7 sports , opening = February 26 , closing = March 5 , opened_by = Prime Minister Junichiro ...

. The ski resort has seven courses, with a top elevation of 1500m, with a vertical of 600m, and a base elevation of 900m. Its longest run is 2500m.

References

External links

Iizuna Yama
- Geological Survey of Japan *

Gallery

Venues of the 1998 Winter Olympics

Iizuna is a town located in the Kamiminochi District of norther Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 11,115 in 4187 households, and a population density of 150 persons per km2. the total area of the town is . Geography I ...