Qualla: Tanzawa Mountains

Tanzawa Mountains: Introduction

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit ja:user:Hykw-a4, CC BY-SA 3.0. Thirty million people live within commuting distance of these mountains, yet the upper ridges of the Tanzawa range feel as remote as anywhere in Japan. The chain sprawls across northwestern Kanagawa Prefecture, brushing the borders of Shizuoka to the west and Yamanashi to the north, with its highest point -- Mount Hiru at 1,673 meters -- standing as the tallest peak in the prefecture. On clear autumn mornings, hikers on the Tanzawa ridgeline can look east toward the skyscrapers of Yokohama and west to the snow-draped cone of Mount Fuji. The mountains are close enough to Tokyo that you can leave Shinjuku Station after breakfast and be climbing through cedar forests by mid-morning, yet wild enough to harbor bears, serow, and flying squirrels in their interior valleys.

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Image: ja:user:Hykw-a4 | CC BY-SA 3.0

Tanzawa Mountains: A Ridge of Seven Peaks

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Dunkster420, CC BY-SA 4.0. The Tanzawa range organizes itself around a central spine of summits, each with its own character. Mount Hiru (Hiru-ga-take, 1,673 meters) anchors the range as its highest point, demanding a full-day commitment from even fit hikers. Mount Tanzawa (Tanzawa-san) gives the range its...

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Image: Dunkster420 | CC BY-SA 4.0

Tanzawa Mountains: Two Forests, Stacked by Altitude

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Raita Futo from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY 2.0. The Tanzawa landscape divides itself into vertical zones. In the lower valleys, Japanese cedar (sugi) and hinoki cypress dominate -- their straight trunks planted centuries ago for timber, now forming dense corridors of dark green that filter the sunlight into narrow shafts. High...

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Image: Raita Futo from Tokyo, Japan | CC BY 2.0

Tanzawa Mountains: Where the Wild Things Still Are

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Raita Futo from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY 2.0. For a range this close to one of the world's great megacities, the Tanzawa Mountains harbor a surprising diversity of wildlife. Japanese deer are abundant -- sometimes too abundant, as their grazing pressure on alpine vegetation has become a management concern. Japanese raccoon d...

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Image: Raita Futo from Tokyo, Japan | CC BY 2.0

Tanzawa Mountains: Weekend Refuge for a Restless City

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit さかおり (talk, CC BY-SA 3.0. The Tanzawa range serves as the primary mountain escape for the greater Tokyo metropolitan area. Kanagawa Route 70 threads between Hadano and the Miyagase area, passing through Kiyokawa Village, which offers lodging, campsites, and trailheads. Lake Miyagase, a man-made reservoir ...

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Image: さかおり (talk | CC BY-SA 3.0