Hida Mountains

Hida Mountains (飛騨山脈)
Northern Alps (北アルプス)
A view from Mount Kashimayari
Highest point
PeakMount Hotaka, Kiso District, Nagano Prefecture
Elevation3,190 m (10,470 ft)
Dimensions
Length105 km (65 mi)
Width25 km (16 mi)
Geography
Map
CountryJapan
Prefectures
One of the sources of the river Kurobe in the Hida Mountains

The Hida Mountains (飛騨山脈, Hida Sanmyaku), or Northern Alps (北アルプス, Kita Arupusu), is a Japanese mountain range which stretches through Nagano, Toyama and Gifu prefectures. A small portion of the mountains also reach into Niigata Prefecture. William Gowland coined the phrase "Japanese Alps" during his time in Japan, but he was only referring to the Hida Mountains when he used that name. The Kiso and Akaishi mountains received the name in the ensuing years.