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

Nagano Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,007,682 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

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

Kamiminochi District, Nagano is a Districts of Japan, district located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, the district has an estimated population of 23,774 with a population density, density of 84.11 persons per km2. The total area is 282.65 km2. Municipalities ...

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

elevation The elevation of a geographic location (geography), ''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 equipotenti ...

of 1,917 metres. Mount Iizuna is located within Myōkō-Togakushi Renzan National Park, and is one of the " Five Mountains of Northern Shinshu" ( 北信五岳) that also includes Mount Myōkō, Mount Kurohime, Mount Togakushi, and Mount Madarao. 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 ''Tengu'' ( ; , , ) are a type of legendary creature found in Shinto belief. They are considered a type of ''yōkai'' (supernatural beings) or Shinto ''kami'' (gods or spirits). The ''Tengu'' were originally thought to take the forms of bird of ...

'' 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 culture of Japan, 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, and a spot where kami are welcomed and thought to ...

and

komainu , often called lion-dogs in English, are statue pairs of lion-like creatures, which traditionally guard the entrance or gate of the shrine, or placed in front of or within the ''honden'' (inner sanctum) of Japanese Shinto shrines. Symbolic mea ...

, the South Trail includes 13 stone Buddhas, and there is a shrine located near the summit.

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 ...

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° views, including panoramic views of Nagano City, Mount Togakushi,

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 Mountaineering, mountaineer and author Kyūya Fukada.Hyakumeizan, Hiking Japan ...

, 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 Jap ...

Yatsugatake Mountains The are a volcanic mountain range on the border between Nagano Prefecture and Yamanashi Prefecture on the island of Honshū in Japan. Description The mountain range consists of two volcanic groups, Northern Yatsugatake Volcanic Group and Southe ...

, and

Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu, with a summit elevation of . It is the highest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano on any Asian island (after Mount Kerinci on the Indonesian island of Sumatra), a ...

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 Reisenji Temple Ruins (零戦時後) and the trailhead, or to the .

Skiing

The mountain is also a popular area for

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

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 (), were a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Nagano, Nagano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, with some events ...

is located.

Freestyle skiing Freestyle skiing is a skiing discipline comprising aerials, Mogul Skiing, moguls, Ski Cross, cross, Half-pipe skiing, half-pipe, slopestyle and big air as part of the Freestyle skiing at the Winter Olympics, Winter Olympics. It can consist of a ...

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 The 2005 Special Olympics Winter World Games () were hosted at Nagano in Nippon and were the first Special Olympics World Games held in Asia. Nagano became the first city in the world to host the Olympics, Paralympics and Special Olympics World G ...

. 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