Mt. Chogatake

In Japan, there are many names of mountains that originate in the shape of the snow.In Shinshu, the famous peaks of the Alps, such as Mt. Jonen, Mt. Jigadake, Mt. Goryu, and Mt. Hakumadake (Shoroumadake), which tower to the west of the plains stretching from Azumino to Omachi to Hakuba, all derive their names from the shape of the snow in spring, and are known as the village. It served as a guideline for people’s farming seasons.This is the best evidence of how the villagers lived with the mountains and the depth of their connection to them.

Chōgatake, a gently sloping mountain in the southern part of the Jōnen Mountains, is another representative mountain of having its origin in the shape of the snow. Yukio Tabuchi, a naturalist, mountain photographer, and butterfly researcher, compared this pattern to that of the Reverdin’s Butterfly.

There is a record that Banryu Shonin, the founder of Yarigadake, went from the Azumino side of the mountain to the bottom of the top of Yarigadake by crossing the Otaki and Yarigadake mountains in 1826.Despite this historical and cultural background, unfortunately, Cho-gadake and its neighbor Otakiyama are not even on the list of the top three 100 mountains.

However, the route from Mt. Otaki to Chōchōgatake, Chōyari, and Jōnen is without a doubt one of the most powerful scenic ridge routes in the Northern Alps, with a panoramic view of Yariho that is unparalleled and a bit embarrassing.
Chogatake, a famous peak that will reaffirm its appeal to seasoned climbers and have a butterfly effect on for those who have just begun to climb mountains, inviting them to further depths of the Japanese Alps.