Mount Aino



Mount Aino (間ノ岳), or Ainodake, is a peak of the Akaishi Mountains−Southern Alps, in Minami Alps National Park, Japan. At 3190 m, it is the third tallest peak in Japan and the second highest in the Akaishi Mountains.

Its summit lies on the border of Aoi-ku and Shizuoka in Shizuoka Prefecture, and of Minami-Alps in Yamanashi Prefecture. Mount Aino is one of the landmark 100 Famous Japanese Mountains.

Location
Within the Akaishi Mountains, Mount Aino is situated roughly 3 km south of Mount Kita, the ranges' tallest peak. Together with Mount Nōtori (農鳥岳) to the south, the three mountains may be referred to as Shiranesanzan (白峰三山).

East of the summit lies the cirque Hosozawa Kar (細沢カール).

Geography
Mount Aino, like most of the Shiranesanzan, abounds with alpine plants. The neighborhood is dominated by rocks where few plants can survive. It has been conceived that landslides around the summit have led to the growth of linear hollows. Taking into account such landslides, Mount Aino might have been dozens of metres higher in the past compared to its present altitude. It may have been Japan's tallest mountain during the Last Glacial Maximum. At that time, Mount Fuji had not reached its present height, and the second and third mountains (Mount Kita and Mount Hotaka) are presently only 4 and 1 metre taller, respectively.

Even though Mount Aino does not reach the height of Mount Kita, in its shape and dimension, it bears an equally great mass.

Mountain trails
Mount Aino lies on the traversal route between Mount Kita and Mount Nōtori. On the summit a trail forks towards Mount Mibu (三峰岳) in the west, where it connects to the Senshio Ridge (仙塩尾根) traversal route.

The nearest alpine hut is Nōtori hut (農鳥小屋), which lies on a saddle to the south below Mount Nishinōtori (西農鳥岳). Another Kitadake mountain cottage (北岳山荘) is situated to the north on a saddle between Mount Aino and Mount Kita.