Centre established to provide guides for Japan’s Mount Nokogiri; tailor-made English-language tours of the mountains available

FUTTSU / KYONAN, Chiba — The Nokogiriyama Guide Center has been launched to convey the appeal of Mt. Nokogiri, a 329-meter-high mountain spanning Futtsu and Kyonan in Chiba Prefecture.

The center is a founded association that sends out guides to provide guided tours in the mountains. The center is also responsible for training new guides.

The project to train paid guides began in September 2022 and was undertaken by a council that seeks to recognize Mt. Nokogiri as a Japanese heritage site. The council certified 16 people as paid guides in March of this year after they completed a training program.

The qualified guides now belong to the new association, which has also taken on the training of new guides. Guides are sent out on request from domestic and foreign travel agencies, with tailor-made English-language tours also available.

Kaori Sasho, who represents the organization, said the center is also called WeGuide Nokogiriyama to convey the staff’s willingness to show visitors around.

In training guides, the center will teach potential guides about the relic of a quarry and the Nihonji Temple, among other things related to the mountain. There will also be practical lessons in safety management for climbers and a basic first aid course at a fire station.