Mount Hiyori, Japan’s Smallest Mountain
Located in Miyagino district in Sendai, this mountain peaks at just three metres above sea level.
©City of Sendai
At 3776 metres high, Mount Fuji is without doubt the highest mountain in Japan. But what about the smallest? Peaking at just three metres above sea level, Mount Hiyori, located in the vicinity of Sendai in the Tohoku region, has held the title of the smallest mountain in Japan since 2011.
Until then, its summit had peaked at six metres high, earning it second place in the rankings. But when the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) conducted topographical surveys in areas affected by the March 2011 earthquake, they found that Mount Hiyori had lost half of its height. These three metres allowed it to steal the title of Japan’s smallest mountain, one that visitors can scale with no effort or oxygen cylinder required. It takes between 5 and 10 seconds to climb the three metres that separate this small patch of land from sea level.
The record was previously held by Tenpozan in Osaka with a ‘peak’ of 4.53 metres.
TRENDING
-
The Tattoos that Marked the Criminals of the Edo Period
Traditional tattoos were strong signifiers; murderers had head tattoos, while theft might result in an arm tattoo.
-
Yoshitomo Nara: What Lies Behind Insouciance and Appearances
Yoshitomo Nara's little girls with big eyes unsettle the viewer with the violence they exude and force them to discern the imperceptible.
-
Tokyo's Transgender Community of the 1970s Immortalised by Satomi Nihongi
In her series ‘'70S Tokyo TRANSGENDER’, the photographer presents a culture and an aesthetic that are situated on the margins of social norms.
-
Gashadokuro, the Legend of the Starving Skeleton
This mythical creature, with a thirst for blood and revenge, has been a fearsome presence in Japanese popular culture for centuries.
-
Nobuyoshi Araki's Earliest Photography Series
Rediscovered by chance, these 150 photographs were taken by the artist in around 1965, at the very start of his career.
