Central Japan’s Chubu region offers one of the country’s most geographically dramatic travel corridors — the Japan Alps, three parallel mountain ranges running north to south through Nagano, Gifu, and Toyama prefectures, creating a landscape of 3,000-meter peaks, deep valleys, traditional alpine villages, and the kind of outdoor environment that draws hikers, skiers, and landscape
Japan’s mountain regions are among the most dramatic and rewarding landscapes in Asia. Hokkaido’s vast powder fields have made Niseko internationally famous among skiers. The Northern Alps above Nagano and Toyama offer high-alpine terrain that rivals the European Alps in scale and ambition. Tohoku’s sacred mountains draw pilgrims and hikers through ancient forest paths. Yakushima’s