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The 'Japanese Alps' is a series of mountain ranges in Japan that bisects the main island of Honshū. The name was popularized by Reverend Walter Weston (1861–1940), an English missionary for whom a memorial plaque is located at Kamikochi, a tourist destination known for its alpine climate.
The Japanese Alps encompass the Hida Mountains (飛騨山脈), the Kiso Mountains (木曽山脈), and the Akaishi Mountains (赤石山脈). These towering ranges include several peaks exceeding 3,000 m in height, the tallest after Mount Fuji. The highest are Hotaka-dake at 3,190 m (10,466 ft) and Kita-dake at 3,193 m (10,473 ft). Mount Ontake in Nagano Prefecture (3,067 m, 10,060 ft) is a destination for pilgrimages as well as an active volcano, having erupted most recently in 1979 and 1980.