Last Updated: Aug 21, 2024

Chiba’s Nokogiriyama

Scaling “Sawtooth Mountain”

This story was originally published on donnykimball.com and has been syndicated here on Medium.

While it pains me greatly to write this, the only place in Chiba Prefecture that most foreign tourists ever really visit is Narita International Airport. This is a real shame as the region is nothing short of a treasure trove of hidden gems just waiting to be explored. From the sprawling temple complex of Narita-san to the historical buildings of Sawara, there’s so much to see and do in Chiba. So, on that note, I’d like to introduce the topic of today’s article: Nokogiriyama (lit. Sawtooth Mountain). Located right on the western coast of Chiba Prefecture’s Boso Peninsula, this 330-meter-tall mountain is uniquely shaped and appeals to all demographics, experienced hikers included. These days, I have a very long catalog of day trips from Tokyo, yet Nokogiriyama easily ranks toward the very top of that list.

Never heard of Nokogiriyama before? Fret not. It was only recently that I, too, discovered this amazing destination when trying to figure out what I had overlooked in Chiba. Still, for a site with such a pedigree of religious and historical import, it’s amazing that Nokogiriyama isn’t more well-known. You see, the western side of the mountain is home to the sprawling Nihon-ji temple complex. Here you’ll find the largest pre-modern stone Buddha in Japan, as well as a…