Mount Hiyori, Japan’s Smallest Mountain

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.