Benten Mountain – Japan’s shortest mountain only 6.1 meters high!

2 min read

2 years ago Pavel

In the midst of the beautiful mountain scenery that dominates Japan, there is one mountain that attracts attention because of its unusual height.
This curious phenomenon may sound unbelievable to many people, as they are accustomed to the image of tall mountains.
However, behind its height is an interesting story about the geography and unique nature of Japan.
Benten Mountain, in Tokushima Prefecture, is considered Japan’s shortest natural mountain with a height of just 6.1 meters and a diameter of under 60 meters.

Located in the middle of fertile paddy fields along Tokushima’s Prefectural Road 10, it is also one of the shortest mountains in the world.
Interestingly, It takes an average person just one minute to reach the summit, with more than 10,000 people who make the journey here every year for this specific purpose.
If for some it’s just the novelty of scaling a 6.1-meter-tall mountain, others come to admire the wax tree, camelias, and other flowers that call the rocky mass their home, and a few make the short trek to reach the Itsukushima Shrine built in honor of Benzaiten, the goddess of wisdom.
Throughout the year, Japan’s shortest mountain also hosts numerous events, from cherry blossom festivals to wedding ceremonies.
A small shrine sits at the top of the little trail, and next to it an information booth which provides leaflets that compare and contrast this mountain with its “competitors” for the lowest height.
Osaka claims its mountain, Tempo-zan is the lowest mountain in Japan, at just 4.5m above sea level, but Benten’s information booklet dispels this as myth, citing the fact that Tempo-zan is man made and thus does not qualify for the title of “Japan’s smallest mountain”!

Either way, unsurprisingly, Benten is not only the shortest but also the safest mountain in Japan, with no accidents or missing person reports ever recorded here.
And, just for comparison, Mount Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan, is 3,776 meters high!