Nov 2, 2013 - 1 min read

Asahi San

Across the valley from Tanigawadake

By C. Rio

Community writer

1 of 7

Mountaintop shrine

Looking over the ridgeline

Summer haze

...Clouds coming in from Niigata

Which way do I go

On the way down

The water from this stream will eventually make it all the way to Tokyo

Asahi-san is probably one of the most viewed mountains in Gunma prefecture, yet few people ever make it to its summit. While hordes of tourists pack into gondola after gondola all summer and autumn in the hopes of reaching the summit of Tanigawadake, hardly anyone ever steps foot on the top of this mountain. They say location is everything, and for this reason very rarely anyone pays any notice to Asahi-san, except when it's in the background of their Tanigawadake summit picture. Which is a shame, because although it's a tiny bit shorter than its sister across the valley, it is no less challenging and the views are no less stunning.