Jōshin'etsu-kōgen National Park is a national park in the Chūbu region of Honshū, Japan. It is located near several active and inactive volcanoes. The park covers parts of the mountainous regions in Gunma, Nagano, and Niigata prefectures. The name of the park comes from the two mountain ranges that form it. The park was split into two separate regions: the Southern Niigata/North Nagano Area and the East Nagano Area.

History

Jōshin'etsu-kōgen National Park was created in 1949. In 1956, it was expanded to include the Myōkō-Togakushi mountain area. On March 27, 2015, this area became its own park called Myōkō-Togakushi Renzan National Park, covering 39.772 ha.

Etymology

The name of the park has two parts. The first part, "Jōshin'etsu," is made up of three kanji characters that represent the old names of three regions in Japan. These regions were called Kōzuke Province, which is now part of Gunma Prefecture; Shinano Province, which is now part of Nagano Prefecture; and Echigo Province, which is now part of Niigata Prefecture. The second part, "kōgen," means a flat, high area of land, such as a plateau.

Southwest Mikuni Mountain Range Area

The Southwest Mikuni Mountain Range Area (三国山脈南西部, Mikuni Sanmyaku Nanseibu) includes Mount Tanigawa (1,963 metres (6,440 ft)) and two active volcanoes—Mount Kusatsu-Shirane (2,162 metres (7,093 ft)) and Mount Asama (2,542 metres (8,340 ft)). Mount Asama is the most active volcano on Honshū.

Recreation

The Jōshin'etsu Kōgen National Park is a popular place for tourists who enjoy skiing, mountain climbing, hiking, and visiting hot spring resorts. The Eastern Area of the park includes the popular skiing areas of Sugadaira and Shiga Kōgen. A highway called the Shiga-Kusatsu-Kogen Ridge Highway goes through this part of the park. It connects the Yamanouchi Hot Springs, such as Yudanaka in the north, to the resort town of Karuizawa in Nagano Prefecture in the south. Karuizawa can be reached from Tokyo by taking the JR East Nagano Shinkansen train.