Japanese Alps

Japanese Alps
From the front, South, Central, North Alps
Highest point
Peak	Mount Kita[1]
Elevation	3,193 m (10,476 ft)
Coordinates	35°40′27″N 138°14′12″E / 35.67417°N 138.23667°E / 35.67417; 138.23667
Dimensions
Length	200 km (120 mi)
Width	40 km (25 mi)
Naming
Native name	日本アルプス (Japanese) Nihon Arupusu (Japanese)
Geography
Japanese Alps Japan
Location	Niigata Prefecture, Toyama Prefecture, Yamanashi Prefecture, Nagano Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture
Country	Japan

The Japanese Alps (日本アルプス, Nihon Arupusu) is a series of mountain ranges in Japan which bisect the main island of Honshu. The peaks that tower over central Honshu have long been the object of veneration and pilgrimage. These mountains had long been exploited by local people for raw materials, including timber, fuel, fertilizer, fodder, meat, minerals, and medicines. Most visitors came to the mountain for pilgrimage, especially to the Buddhist temple and the sacred peak of Mount Tate.

The name was coined by English archaeologist William Gowland, and later popularized by Reverend Walter Weston (1861–1940), an English missionary for whom a memorial plaque is located at Kamikōchi, a tourist destination known for its alpine climate. When Gowland coined the phrase, he was only referring to the Hida Mountains, but it now also applies to the Kiso Mountains and Akaishi Mountains.^[2]