Mount Echigo-Komagatake
Encyclopedia
Mount Echigo-Komagatake or Uonuma-Komagatake (越後駒ヶ岳 or 魚沼駒ヶ岳) is a mountain located on the border of Uonuma
and
Minamiuonuma
, Niigata Prefecture
, Japan
, with an elevation of 2002.7 m (6,571 ft) It is one of the 100 famous mountains in Japan.
Mount Echigo-Komagatake, along with Nakanodake and Mount Hakkai, is also one of the three great mountains of Echigo. (Echigo is the old name of Niigata.)
, Fukushima
, and Gunma Prefecture
. Between late autumn and early spring, large amount of snow falls in this region because of the monsoon
from Siberia
, with an average of 3 or 4 meters. Avalanches eroded the surface of the mountain and formed steep precipices, especially on the west and north face. Hikers can see snow on the mountain even in late summer. Thanks to the heavy snowfall, this mountain has many sources of rivers such as Kitanomata River, Mizunashi River, and Sanashi River, which all flow into Sea of Japan
. Such abundant water is used mainly for paddy fields, and hydroelectricity
.
In contrast to the winter season, it is hot and humid, and there are thunderstorms in the afternoon almost every day in the summer season. Hikers must pay attention to hyperthermia
and thunderbolts
.
long and demanding, but special technique isn't needed. It's possible to get back to the starting points except for the last one if start climing in the early morning. The best season is between June and early October.
or Koide
) to the starting points. However, they are much less convenient than by car and taxi. At the starting points, several dozens of parking lots are available for free, but during the best season, the parking lots are quickly inundated with a lot of cars.
Uonuma, Niigata
is a city located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It has an area of 946.93 km² and a population of 41,894 .It is famous for its rice – the koshihikari rice grown in Uonuma is the most sought-after and most expensive rice in Japan...
and
Minamiuonuma
Minamiuonuma, Niigata
is a city located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It has an area of 584.82 km² and a population of 62,733 .-History:*The city was established on November 1, 2004 in a merger of the towns Muikamachi and Yamato, both from Minami-Uonuma District, Niigata.*On October 1, 2005, the town of Shiozawa...
, Niigata Prefecture
Niigata Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, with an elevation of 2002.7 m (6,571 ft) It is one of the 100 famous mountains in Japan.
Mount Echigo-Komagatake, along with Nakanodake and Mount Hakkai, is also one of the three great mountains of Echigo. (Echigo is the old name of Niigata.)
Geography
Mount Echigo-Komagatake lies in central part of Echigo Mountains, a mountain range over NiigataNiigata Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...
, Fukushima
Fukushima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Fukushima.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Fukushima prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
, and Gunma Prefecture
Gunma Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the northwest corner of the Kantō region on Honshu island. Its capital is Maebashi.- History :The remains of a Paleolithic man were found at Iwajuku, Gunma Prefecture, in the early 20th century and there is a public museum there.Japan was without horses until...
. Between late autumn and early spring, large amount of snow falls in this region because of the monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
from Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, with an average of 3 or 4 meters. Avalanches eroded the surface of the mountain and formed steep precipices, especially on the west and north face. Hikers can see snow on the mountain even in late summer. Thanks to the heavy snowfall, this mountain has many sources of rivers such as Kitanomata River, Mizunashi River, and Sanashi River, which all flow into Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
. Such abundant water is used mainly for paddy fields, and hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
.
In contrast to the winter season, it is hot and humid, and there are thunderstorms in the afternoon almost every day in the summer season. Hikers must pay attention to hyperthermia
Hyperthermia
Hyperthermia is an elevated body temperature due to failed thermoregulation. Hyperthermia occurs when the body produces or absorbs more heat than it can dissipate...
and thunderbolts
Thunderbolt
A thunderbolt is a discharge of lightning accompanied by a loud thunderclap or its symbolic representation. In its original usage the word may also have been a description of meteors, or, as Plato suggested in Timaeus, of the consequences of a close approach between two planetary cosmic bodies,...
.
Climbing routes
There are some climing routes. The easiest and most popular route is the one from Shiori Mountain Pass. (Japanese: 枝折峠) Other routes are Kushigahana route, Komanoyu route, and Echigo Sanzan mountain ridge route. All routes arelong and demanding, but special technique isn't needed. It's possible to get back to the starting points except for the last one if start climing in the early morning. The best season is between June and early October.
Transportation
Some bus routes are available from train stations (Muikamachi, UrasaUrasa Station
is a train station located in Minamiuonuma, Niigata, Japan. It opened on September 1, 1923.- Adjacent stations :-External links:*...
or Koide
Koide Station
is a railway station of East Japan Railway in Uonuma, Niigata, Japan.-Lines:*East Japan Railway **Jōetsu Line**Tadami Line-External links:...
) to the starting points. However, they are much less convenient than by car and taxi. At the starting points, several dozens of parking lots are available for free, but during the best season, the parking lots are quickly inundated with a lot of cars.