The View from the Top of Japan: My 2-decade-long quest to scale the nation's 25 highest peaks

Japan has some of the most spectacular peaks anywhere on the planet and so it’s only natural that visitors to the country are immediately drawn to peaks like the iconic Mt. Fuji, the most visited mountain in the world; the many beautiful peaks of the Northern, Central, & Southern Japan Alps; as well as the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains spread throughout the Japanese archipelago.

Being a lifelong climber, the attraction for Japan’s breathtaking mountains was immediate for Gary J. Wolff, and so within only 4 short months of arriving in Japan nearly 26 years ago, he was standing atop Fuji-san, the nation’s highest peak. After becoming firmly hooked on the exhilarating 360-degree panoramas afforded by Japan’s alpine country, over the course of the next 2 decades Gary managed to climb all of the 29 highest mountains in Japan and 38 of the tallest 50.

In this 3rd edition (republished "as is" in March 2017 for sale at Amazon Japan), to the greatest extent possible, Gary has shared intimate details of his love affair with Japan’s highest mountains including pics, maps, trail descriptions, and other useful info based upon his 2-decade-long climbing experience in Japan. Not a hiking guide per se, "The View from the Top of Japan" will nonetheless whet your appetite to the point that you’ll want to hit the Japanese mountain trails immediately!

Gary Joe Wolff is a Tokyo-based university professor, corporate communications consultant, actor/model, and all-round nice guy. :-) From Houston, Texas, USA, Gary earned a master's degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas and worked 12 years as a registered professional transportation engineer before moving to Tokyo in 1991.

For the past 17 years, Gary has taught both undergraduate and graduate engineering and science students in the School of Science and Technology at one of Japan's oldest and most prestigious private universities.

Also, since first arriving on Japanese shores, he's served as a specialist in intercultural corporate training for Japanese engineers and managers in preparation for their overseas assignments, and has taught at over 80 different companies, schools, and agencies.

In his free time, Gary enjoys mountain climbing and has scaled all of the 25 highest mountains in Japan. He has found living in Japan to be a truly fascinating and rewarding cultural experience, and claims to still have a few more books on his mind. 

Stay tuned to Gary's latest updates from Japan @ GaryJWolff.com !