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Joshin’etsukogen NP, Nagano / Gunma
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At 2,307m, Taeko Takasō missed bread from home, so in the late 1960s she baked with udon flour and proofed dough on a warm bath lid. It took about 10 years to master baking at altitude.
Yokote sits on a major watershed: rain on its eastern side eventually flows to the Pacific, while rain and snowmelt on the western side reach the Sea of Japan. One mountain sends water in opposite directions.
The Sky-lator is a 200m outdoor moving walkway, not a lift. Completed in 1967, it is described by Yamanouchi’s tourism site as Japan’s oldest and a one-of-a-kind ride.
At the summit lift station, Crumpet Café serves a British griddle bread made fresh from scratch. The Shiga Kogen tourism association describes it as Japan’s first crumpet specialty shop.
The summit terrace has a 360-degree panorama. On a clear day, you may spot both the Sea of Japan and Mount Fuji, roughly 150km away—a remarkable pair of distant landmarks from one viewpoint.
The summit hut opened in 1952 as shelter for ski-tourers and merchants crossing the mountain. Its founders also helped with rescues; a relief honoring the couple now stands beside the hut.
At Yokote’s summer mountain-opening ceremony, local residents and officials gather at the summit shrine to pray for safety and a good season. In 2025, about 120 people joined the Yokote ceremony.
Yokote’s volcanic activity is estimated at about 650,000 years ago. Erosion has left volcanic slopes toward Shibutoge, while almost all of the mountain’s western side has been worn away.
