Hakkōda Mountains
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The are an active
volcanic complex A complex volcano, also called a compound volcano or a volcanic complex, is a mixed landform consisting of related volcanic centers and their associated lava flows and pyroclastic rock. They may form due to changes in eruptive habit or ...
in south-central
Aomori Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori (city), Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is border ...
, Japan, in
Towada-Hachimantai National Park Towada-Hachimantai National Park is a national park comprising two separate areas of Aomori, Iwate, and Akita Prefectures, Japan. The Towada-Hakkōda area encompasses Lake Towada, Mount Hakkōda, and most of the chimantai area includes Mount ...
. Often called or simply , the mountains are collectively listed as one of the
100 Famous Japanese Mountains is a book written in 1964 by Mountaineering, mountaineer and author Kyūya Fukada.Hyakumeizan, Hiking Japan ...
. Its highest peak, Mount Ōdake, lies southeast of central Aomori and west of central
Towada is a city in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 58,905 in 28031 households, and a population density of 81 persons per km2 The total area of the city is .Towada is home to the national and prefectural agencies t ...
and has an elevation of . The Hakkōda Mountains are a part of the
Ōu Mountains The are a mountain range in the Tōhoku region of Honshū, Japan. It is the longest range in Japan and stretches south from the Natsudomari Peninsula of Aomori Prefecture to the Nasu volcanoes at the northern boundary of the Kantō region. T ...
which make up part of the
Northeastern Japan Arc The Northeastern Japan Arc, also Northeastern Honshū Arc, is an island arc on the Pacific Ring of Fire. The arc runs north to south along the Tōhoku region of Honshū, Japan. It is the result of the subduction of the Pacific plate underneath ...
, a segment of the
Pacific Ring of Fire The Ring of Fire (also known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Rim of Fire, the Girdle of Fire or the Circum-Pacific belt) is a tectonic belt of volcanoes and earthquakes. It is about long and up to about wide, and surrounds most of the Pa ...
. The volcanic complex consists of fourteen
stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a typically conical volcano built up by many alternating layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with ...
es and
lava dome In volcanology, a lava dome is a circular, mound-shaped protrusion resulting from the slow extrusion of viscous lava from a volcano. Dome-building eruptions are common, particularly in convergent plate boundary settings. Around 6% of eruptions ...
s arranged into two
volcanic group A volcanic group, depending on context, is either (1) a group of related volcanoes in the form of volcanic fields, volcanic complexes and cone clusters, or (2) a stratigraphic group consisting of volcanic strata In geology and relate ...
s. The Northern Hakkōda Volcanic Group emerges from the rim of an
caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcanic eruption. An eruption that ejects large volumes of magma over a short period of time can cause significant detriment to the str ...
that dates back to the
Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...
. The Southern Hakkōda Volcanic Group predates the caldera. The Hakkōda Mountains attract many climbers, skiers, and sightseers. The mountains offer extensive backcountry skiing in the winter and early spring. There is a lift, the Hakkōda Ropeway in the northern Hakkōda Mountains used by visitors year-round and several hiking trails cross the mountains. While the trails do not pose any technical climbing challenges, Hakkōda presents dangers such as volcanic gases, harsh winter weather, and avalanches. The most notable incident in mountains' history was the
Hakkōda Mountains disaster The occurred on 23 January 1902, when a group of Imperial Japanese Army soldiers became lost in a blizzard in the Hakkōda Mountains in Aomori Prefecture in northern Honshu, Japan, en-route to Tashiro Hot Spring located in the Hakkōda Mountai ...
, the worst mountaineering accident in modern history.


Geographic setting and description

After
Mount Iwaki is a stratovolcano located in western Aomori Prefecture, Tohoku, Japan. It is also referred to as and less frequently, due to its similar shape to Mount Fuji. With a summit elevation of and a Topographic prominence, prominence of it is th ...
, the Hakkōda Mountains contain the second highest peak in
Aomori Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori (city), Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is border ...
, Mount Ōdake with an elevation of . Mount Ōdake can be climbed from
Sukayu Onsen is an ''onsen'' (hot spring) in the Hakkōda Mountains in the city of Aomori, Aomori Prefecture in Japan. It is known for its "Sen-nin-buro" or "Bath of a thousand bathers", a large mixed gender public bath. Climate Sukayu Onsen is the snowies ...
in about four hours. Heavy snowfall makes the Hakkōda Mountains a prime destination for backcountry and mountain
skiers Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International ...
, and there are two mountain huts for overnight trips. The lower slopes of the mountains are forested interspersed with
moorland Moorland or moor is a type of Habitat (ecology), habitat found in upland (geology), upland areas in temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands and the biomes of montane grasslands and shrublands, characterised by low-growing vegetation on So ...
. Above , the
Alpine climate Alpine climate is the typical climate for elevations above the tree line, where trees fail to grow due to cold. This climate is also referred to as a mountain climate or highland climate. Definition There are multiple definitions of alpine cli ...
zone starts. The Hakkōda Mountains, along with
Lake Towada is the largest Volcanic crater lake, crater lake in Honshū island, Japan. Located on the border between Aomori Prefecture, Aomori and Akita Prefecture, Akita prefectures, it lies 400 meters (1,800 ft) above sea level and is 327 m ...
and the Oirase Valley, make up the northern section of
Towada-Hachimantai National Park Towada-Hachimantai National Park is a national park comprising two separate areas of Aomori, Iwate, and Akita Prefectures, Japan. The Towada-Hakkōda area encompasses Lake Towada, Mount Hakkōda, and most of the chimantai area includes Mount ...
. The mountains dominate the southern horizon of the city of Aomori. On a clear day they can be seen on a clear day from
Hakodate is a Cities of Japan, city and seaports of Japan, port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of January 31, 2024, the city had an estimated population of 239,813 with 138,807 househol ...
in
Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...
. Though the Hakkōda Mountains are made up of several mountains they are often collectively called or simply . The name Hakkōda is a geographic description of the mountains and their appearance. The first part of the name from eight of the mountains having peaks that resemble helmets. The second part of the name refers to the mountains' flat plateaus that are referred to as .


List of peaks

The following is a list of peaks and their heights: *Northern Group: ** 1585 m ** 1559 m ** 1537 m ** 1548 m ** 1478 m ** 1360 m ** 1324 m ** 1251.7 m ** 1240.4 m ** 1202 m *Southern Group: ** 1516.6 m *** Includes 1516.6 m and 1342 m ** 1449.9 m ** 1416.5 m ** 1353.7 m ** 1339.6 m ** 1297.8 m ** 1199.0 m ** 1183 m


Wetlands

The Hakkōda Mountains are famous for their high-altitude
wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...
s: * Sennin Wetland (仙人岱) * Kenashi Wetlands (毛無岱) * Tamo Wetland (田茂萢) * Suiren Pond (睡蓮沼) * Tashiro Plateau Wetland (田代平湿原)


Geology

The Hakkōda Mountains are two clusters of
stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a typically conical volcano built up by many alternating layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with ...
es in the
Northeastern Japan Arc The Northeastern Japan Arc, also Northeastern Honshū Arc, is an island arc on the Pacific Ring of Fire. The arc runs north to south along the Tōhoku region of Honshū, Japan. It is the result of the subduction of the Pacific plate underneath ...
that consists of
lava flow Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a Natural satellite, moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a Fissure vent, fractu ...
s,
debris flow Debris flows are geological phenomena in which water-laden masses of soil and fragmented Rock (geology), rock flow down mountainsides, funnel into stream channels, entrain objects in their paths, and form thick, muddy deposits on valley floors. ...
s, and
pyroclastic Pyroclast, Pyroclastic or Pyroclastics may refer to: Geology * Pyroclast, or airborne volcanic tephra fragments * Pyroclastic rock, rock fragments produced and ejected by explosive volcanic eruptions * Pyroclastic cone, landform of ejecta fro ...
ejecta and flows arranged into southern and northern groups. The volcanic peaks are made of non-alkali
mafic A mafic mineral or rock is a silicate mineral or igneous rock rich in magnesium and iron. Most mafic minerals are dark in color, and common rock-forming mafic minerals include olivine, pyroxene, amphibole, and biotite. Common mafic rocks include ...
rock; mostly
andesite Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predomina ...
,
dacite Dacite () is a volcanic rock formed by rapid solidification of lava that is high in silica and low in alkali metal oxides. It has a fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic texture and is intermediate in composition between andesite and rhyolite. ...
, and
basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
. Although both groups of mountains formed in the Pleistocene, the southern group is older than the northern group. The southern group is made from rock that is 700,000 to 1,700,000 years old, while the northern group is made from rock that is 13,000 to 700,000 years old along the southwestern rim of an older
caldera A caldera ( ) is a large cauldron-like hollow that forms shortly after the emptying of a magma chamber in a volcanic eruption. An eruption that ejects large volumes of magma over a short period of time can cause significant detriment to the str ...
. Eight eruptive events have occurred in the Northern Hakkōda Volcanic Group since 4,000 BCE, including
phreatic ''Phreatic'' is a term used in hydrology to refer to aquifers, in speleology to refer to cave passages, and in volcanology to refer to a type of volcanic eruption. Hydrology The term phreatic (the word originates from the Greek , meaning "well" ...
and
vulcanian eruption A Vulcanian eruption is a type of volcanic eruption characterized by a dense cloud of ash-laden gas exploding from the crater and rising high above the peak. They usually commence with phreatomagmatic eruptions which can be extremely noisy due t ...
s. Four eruptive events occurred at the summit of Ōdake, with another possible eruption at Ōdake. The three most recent eruptions occurred at Jigokunuma on the southwestern foot of Ōdake near Sukayu Onsen during the 13th to 17th centuries.


Modern activity and the current threat

Two fatal incidents have happened in modern history due to
volcanic gas Volcanic gases are gases given off by active (or, at times, by dormant) volcanoes. These include gases trapped in cavities (Vesicular texture, vesicles) in volcanic rocks, dissolved or dissociated gases in magma and lava, or gases emanating from ...
emitted from the northern group. On 12 July 1997, three soldiers of the
Japan Self-Defense Forces The are the military forces of Japan. Established in 1954, the JSDF comprises the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. They are controlled by the Ministry of Defense ...
died after gas accumulated in the valley where they were training. On 20 June 2010, a teenage girl died after being exposed to volcanic gas near Sukayu Onsen. After the
2011 Great East Japan earthquake Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number) * One of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *''Eleven'', a 1970 collection of short stories by Patricia Highsmith *''Eleven'' ...
, seismic activity around the volcanic group increased. After a series of earthquakes between February and October 2013, Mount Ōdake saw a degree of deformation. Future eruptions are forecast to come from the peak of Mount Ōdake and Jigokunuma, a
volcanic crater lake A volcanic crater lake is a lake in a volcanic crater, crater that was formed by explosive eruption, explosive activity or a caldera, collapse during a types of volcanic eruptions, volcanic eruption. Formation Lakes in calderas fill large crate ...
. Large scale eruptions from Mount Ōdake have the potential to send
lahar A lahar (, from ) is a violent type of mudflow or debris flow composed of a slurry of Pyroclastic rock, pyroclastic material, rocky debris and water. The material flows down from a volcano, typically along a valley, river valley. Lahars are o ...
s (volcanic mudflows) to heavily populated areas of the cities of
Aomori , officially Aomori City (, ), is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 264,945 in 136,781 households, and a population density of 321 people per squa ...
and Towada, to the northwest and east, respectively, of the volcanic complex. Potential lahars would flow to Towada by the Oirase River and its tributaries and to Aomori by the Tsutsumi and Komagome rivers. The junction of the Tsutsumi and Komagome rivers just north of Tsutsui Station on the
Aoimori Railway Line The is a Regional rail, regional rail line in Aomori Prefecture, Japan that is operated by the Aoimori Railway Company. It connects Metoki Station, the terminal station of the Iwate Galaxy Railway Line, to Aomori Station, the terminus of severa ...
would be the most heavily impacted populated area during a large eruption, with many areas struck by over a meter of debris. An eruption from Mount Ōdake could also produce pyroclastic flows that could travel up to and expel lava up to from the volcano. Due to volcanic deformation, the summit of Mount Takada-Ōdake shifted to the west and increased in elevation by , shifting its summit from the border of Aomori and Towada to being entirely in the city of Towada. As of May 2020, intense
fumarole A fumarole (or fumerole) is a vent in the surface of the Earth or another rocky planet from which hot volcanic gases and vapors are emitted, without any accompanying liquids or solids. Fumaroles are characteristic of the late stages of volcani ...
activity was ongoing at Jigokunuma near Sukayu Onsen and National Routes 103 /
394 __NOTOC__ Year 394 (CCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known in Western Europe as the Year of the Consulship of Flavianus without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1147 ''Ab urbe condi ...
.


Human history

During the
Jōmon period In Japanese history, the is the time between , during which Japan was inhabited by the Jōmon people, a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population united by a common culture, which reached a considerable degree of sedentism an ...
, human activity rapidly increased in the Hakkōda Mountains after a large-scale,
Plinian eruption Plinian eruptions or Vesuvian eruptions are volcanic eruptions characterized by their similarity to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, which destroyed the ancient Roman cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii. The eruption was described in a le ...
of the Lake Towada volcanic caldera. It is hypothesized that the removal of the mountains' beech forest in the eruption made room for the chestnut groves that the Jōmon people in the area relied heavily on. In 1684, during the
Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...
, Sukayu Onsen was founded at a hot spring near Jigokunuma. A hunter tracking a deer he had wounded came upon the deer near a hot spring. The hunter noticed that the deer had apparently been healed of its injuries by the hot spring. The location became known as Shikayu Onsen, literally "the deer's hot spring". As the amount of visitors grew, the onsen became known as Sukayu. The onsen is still a major attraction in the mountains. In 1929,
Tohoku University is a public research university in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. It is colloquially referred to as or . Established in 1907 as the third of the Imperial Universities, after the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University, it initially focused on sc ...
established the Mount Hakkōda Plant Experimentation Laboratory near Sukayu Onsen. The mountains, along with the Lake Towada area, were set aside under the as a protected part of Towada National Park in 1936. On 3 August 1953, the national park was expanded, extending its protected status to the Tashiro Plateau Wetland in the caldera of the Northern Group of the Hakkōda Mountains. After the park was established, the mountains were listed collectively as one of the
100 Famous Japanese Mountains is a book written in 1964 by Mountaineering, mountaineer and author Kyūya Fukada.Hyakumeizan, Hiking Japan ...
compiled by the mountaineer
Kyūya Fukada was a Japanese people, Japanese writer and mountaineer active during the Shōwa period in Japan. Early life Kyūya was born in what is now Kaga, Ishikawa, Kaga city, Ishikawa prefecture. He attended the Fujishima High School, followed by the pr ...
in 1964. This list gained popularity after it gained the attention of
Emperor Naruhito Naruhito (born 23 February 1960) is Emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne following the abdication of his father, Akihito, on 1 May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era. He is the 126th monarch, according to the traditional order ...
, who would attempt to summit every entry on the list. The Hakkōda Ropeway was opened in October 1968, providing
aerial lift An aerial lift, also known as a cable car or ropeway, is a means of cable transport in which ''cabins'', ''cars'', ''Gondola lift, gondolas'', or Chairlift, open chairs are hauled above the ground by means of one or more Wire rope, cables. Aeria ...
access to the top of Mount Tamoyachidake, one of the peaks in the northern Hakkōda Mountains. The Hakkōda Mountains have appeared on a
postage stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail). Then the stamp is affixed to the f ...
released on 20 July 1951 and, more recently, in a set of stamps released on 30 March 2015.
Shikō Munakata was a Woodblock printing in Japan, woodblock printmaker active in Shōwa period Japan. He is associated with the ''sōsaku-hanga'' movement and the ''mingei'' (folk art) movement. Munakata was awarded the "Prize of Excellence" at the Second Inter ...
, an internationally acclaimed local ''
sōsaku-hanga was an art movement of woodblock printing which was conceived in early 20th-century Japan. It stressed the artist as the sole creator motivated by a desire for self-expression, and advocated principles of art that is "self-drawn" (自画 ''jiga' ...
'' artist, designed a badge for the climbers of Hakkōda in 1954. A portion of the mountains' forests was designated as a Biotic Community Protection Forest in 1989.


Outdoor recreation

The Hakkōda Mountains, particularly the area around the Hakkōda Ropeway, Sukayu Onsen, and Mount Ōdake, are a popular destination for skiers and snowboarders from around the world. The mountains offer an extensive area for backcountry winter and early spring recreation, with dry, powdery snow similar to what is seen at resorts in Hokkaido despite being slightly further south. Multiple ski resorts serve tourists near the bottom of the aerial lift and within close proximity of Sukayu Onsen. Jōgakura Bridge, spanning the northern and southern groups of the mountains, is a draw for tourists because of the panoramic views it offers of the mountains and their surroundings.


Climbing

Climbing to the summit of Mount Ōdake, the highest peak of the Hakkōda Mountains, is not difficult and does not require any technical skill between May and November. To reach the peak climbers start their ascent at Sukayu Onsen or the top of the Hakkōda Ropeway, both of which can be accessed by public buses or private automobiles from National Route 103 and National Route 394. From Sukayu Onsen, it takes about two hours to complete the ascent to the summit that is accessible by a well-marked pathway. From the top of the Hakkōda Ropeway it takes two hours to ascend to the summit and another two to descend back to the aerial lift. The summit can be reached outside of the mentioned climbing season; however dangers imposed by avalanches and harsh weather make advance training, personal
radio beacon In navigation, a radio beacon or radiobeacon is a kind of beacon, a device that marks a fixed location and allows direction finding, direction-finding equipment to find relative Bearing (navigation), bearing. But instead of employing visible lig ...
s, and preparation necessary.


Dangers and accidents

The
Hakkōda Mountains disaster The occurred on 23 January 1902, when a group of Imperial Japanese Army soldiers became lost in a blizzard in the Hakkōda Mountains in Aomori Prefecture in northern Honshu, Japan, en-route to Tashiro Hot Spring located in the Hakkōda Mountai ...
occurred on 23 January 1902, when a group of
Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
soldiers marched in a blizzard on the Hakkōda Mountains en route to Tashiro Hot Spring located in the Hakkōda Mountains. The 199 deaths during a single ascent make it the world's largest
mountaineering Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become mounta ...
disaster A disaster is an event that causes serious harm to people, buildings, economies, or the environment, and the affected community cannot handle it alone. '' Natural disasters'' like avalanches, floods, earthquakes, and wildfires are caused by na ...
in the
modern history The modern era or the modern period is considered the current historical period of human history. It was originally applied to the history of Europe and Western history for events that came after the Middle Ages, often from around the year 1500, ...
of mountain climbing. Two people were killed and 12 were injured after an avalanche struck a hiking party in 2007. A woman who was snowboarding in a backcountry skiing area away from the Hakkōda Ropeway was killed as a result of another avalanche on 21 February 2021. Depressions in the mountains can trap toxic volcanic gases emitted from vents. These gases have led to the deaths of several people in modern history.


Ecology

of the land area within the Hakkōda Mountains is designated as a Protected Forest. Located primarily to the south of Mount Ōdake, it stretches about half the distance from that peak across the southern Hakkōda Mountains to Lake Towada. It is protected as a Biotic Community Protection Forest due to the variety of forests contained within the relatively compact area of the mountains. Below the alpine zone that begins around , the Hakkōda Mountains are covered with Siebold's beech forests. In the lower alpine zone the mountains contain stands of Maries' fir, a species of
fir Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus ''Abies'' () in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Eurasia, and North Africa. The genu ...
known locally as Aomori todomatsu. During the winter these fir trees get blasted with snow, sculpting the precipitation onto the trees resulting in the phenomenon known as "snow monsters". In the higher alpine zone in elevations above , the stands of fir thin out and are interspersed with a mixture of alpine shrubs, primarily made up of East Asian alder and Japanese rowan.
Hare's-tail cottongrass ''Eriophorum vaginatum'', the hare's-tail cottongrass, tussock cottongrass, or sheathed cottonsedge, is a species of perennial herbaceous flowering plant in the sedge family Cyperaceae. It is native to bogs and other acidic wetlands throughout t ...
, evergreen azaleas, and '' Narthecium asiaticum'' are flowering plants that can be found in the wetlands of the mountains. In the subalpine moorlands, especially in areas with less snow, drier soil, and closer proximity to habitat edges,
woody plant encroachment Woody plant encroachment (also called woody encroachment, bush encroachment, shrub encroachment, shrubification, woody plant proliferation, or bush thickening) is a natural phenomenon characterised by the area expansion and density increase of ...
reduces plant variety. The mountains support a wide variety of animal life. The Tsuta Wild Bird Sanctuary lies within the Southern Group of the Hakkōda Mountains. Its marshes and ponds support populations of
Mandarin duck The mandarin duck (''Aix galericulata'') is a perching duck species native to the East Palearctic. It is Sexual dimorphism, sexually dimorphic – the males are elaborately coloured, while the females have more subdued colours. It is a medium- ...
,
forest green tree frog ''Zhangixalus arboreus'', also known as the forest green tree frog and Kinugasa flying frog, is a species of frog in the family Rhacophoridae endemic to Japan, where it has been observed on Honshu island, between 10 and 2350 meters above sea lev ...
, and ruddy kingfisher. Other species that can be found in the Hakkōda Mountains are the
golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of pr ...
, the
Japanese serow The (''Capricornis crispus'') ( 羚羊) is a Japanese goat-antelope, an even-toed ungulate. It is found in dense woodland in Japan, primarily in northern and central Honshu. The serow is seen as a national symbol of Japan, and is subject to p ...
, and the
Asian black bear The Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), also known as the Asiatic black bear, moon bear and white-chested bear, is a medium-sized bear species native to Asia that is largely adapted to an arboreal lifestyle. It is distributed from southeast ...
.


See also

* Hakkōda Tunnel * Jōgakura Bridge * ''Mount Hakkoda'' (1977 film) * ''Mt. Hakkoda'' (2014 film) *
List of volcanoes in Japan This is a list of active and extinct volcanoes in Japan. An Orange background indicates a volcano considered active by the Japan Meteorological Agency. Hokkaido Honshū Izu Islands Ogasawara Archipelago The Ogasawara Archipelago ...
*
List of mountains in Japan A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hakkoda Mountains Mountain ranges of Aomori Prefecture Volcanoes of Aomori Prefecture Volcanic groups