Q.What kind of mountain is Odaigahara?
Published 2026-06-24
Answer
It's one of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains, sitting in southeastern Nara on the border with Mie Prefecture. Its highest peak, Mt. Hidegatake, stands at 1,695 m (Geospatial Information Authority of Japan: 1695.0 m) on the Nara–Mie border. Odaigahara forms the southern end of the Daiko Mountains, a range running roughly 30 km north to south up to Mt. Takami, and is famous for old-growth forest and ghostly stands of dead spruce nourished by some of Honshu's heaviest rainfall. Because the Odaigahara Driveway climbs almost to the summit parking lot, it's one of the easier peaks among the 100 Famous Mountains.
The highest peak: Mt. Hidegatake, 1,695 m
Mt. Hidegatake, the highest point of the Odaigahara massif, rises to 1,695 m (mapped as 1695.0 m by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan). Standing on the border between Kamikitayama Village in Nara and Mie Prefecture, it is also the highest point in Mie. It is listed among Kyuya Fukada's "100 Famous Mountains of Japan," and from its summit observation deck you can see the peaks of the Kii Peninsula and, on a clear day, the Pacific Ocean and even Mt. Fuji. The area lies within Yoshino-Kumano National Park, where the primeval landscape is protected.
1,695elevation of Mt. Hidegatake, m (GSI: 1695.0)
Mie's highestHidegatake is the highest point in Mie Prefecture
100 Famousone of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains
The southern end of the Daiko Mountains
Odaigahara forms the southern end of the Daiko Mountains, which run north–south along the Nara–Mie border. The name "Daiko" is a blend, taking one character each from the range's two ends — Mt. Odaigahara (大台ヶ原山) and Mt. Takami (高見山) — and is said to have been coined by Hideo Kishida of Yoshino, Nara. The ridgeline stretches about 30 km, linking peaks such as Mt. Sanzukochi (1,654 m) and Mt. Ikegoya (1,395 m) up to Mt. Takami (1,248.9 m) at the northern end. Mie lies to the east of the range, Nara to the west.
approx. 30 kmlength of the Daiko ridgeline
1,248.9elevation of Mt. Takami at the northern end, m
| Peak | Elevation | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Mt. Hidegatake (Odaigahara) | 1,695 m | southern end / highest peak |
| Mt. Sanzukochi | 1,654 m | northern Odaigahara |
| Mt. Ikegoya | 1,395 m | central range |
| Mt. Takami | 1,248.9 m | northern end of the range |
Old-growth forest and dead spruce, born of heavy rain
Odaigahara is among the wettest places in Honshu, rivaling Yakushima, and that abundant rain has nurtured old-growth forests of beech and spruce (the rainfall figures themselves are covered in our separate article, "Where does it rain most in Nara?"). At Masaki-ga-hara, meanwhile, spruce trees stand dead like pale bones in a haunting landscape. The forest changed under the combined pressures of deer browsing and typhoon windthrow, and since 1986 the Ministry of the Environment has run projects to conserve and restore the spruce. Primeval forest standing alongside dead trees is what makes Odaigahara distinctive.
since 1986start of the Ministry of the Environment's spruce conservation work
Masaki-ga-harasite known for its stands of dead spruce
East and West Odai: different ways to enter
Odaigahara is divided into East Odai and West Odai, and the way you enter differs greatly. East Odai — taking in Mt. Hidegatake, Masaki-ga-hara, and the cliff-edge lookout Daijagura — can be walked without any procedure. West Odai, which retains more pristine nature, is designated a "Use-Adjustment Area" under the Natural Parks Act and requires advance application (Ministry of the Environment). Entry requires attending a prior briefing, and daily visitor numbers are capped at 50 on weekends and holidays and 30 on weekdays. Limiting use is the mechanism that protects the area's primeval vegetation.
permit requiredWest Odai is a Use-Adjustment Area (Ministry of the Environment)
50 / 30daily entry cap for West Odai (weekends-holidays / weekdays)
no permitEast Odai (Hidegatake, Daijagura, etc.)
Driving almost to the summit
A defining feature of Odaigahara is that the Odaigahara Driveway climbs all the way to the summit-area parking lot and visitor center, at an elevation of about 1,570 m. From there, it's barely 100 m of vertical gain to the highest peak, Mt. Hidegatake, and the East Odai loop follows well-maintained paths — making it one of the easier of the 100 Famous Mountains. Note, however, that the Driveway is typically closed for winter from late November to late April, so check the opening dates before you go. The area is a Special Protection Zone within Yoshino-Kumano National Park, so visitors are asked to follow rules that keep the wild landscape intact.
approx. 1,570elevation of the summit-area parking and visitor center, m
late Nov.–late Apr.typical winter closure of the Driveway