Japan is a land of many magnificent mountains and natural scenery that any nature buff would love to explore. While it’s every hiker’s dream of ascending the highest of mountains, it’s time to focus on the little guys for once. Over at Minato, Osaka, Tenpozan or Mount Tenpō is one of Japan’s mini-mountains with a summit that only measures to about 14 feet above sea level. Mount Tenpō is actually an artificial mountain that was built around the 1800’s as a key landmark to help ships navigate and find ports.
Mount Tenpō summit area
The peak of Mount Tenpō, indicated by the square tile on the ground.
In fact, Mount Tenpō is so tiny that the only reason it’s even considered a mountain is that it was officially recognised as one by the Geographical Survey Institute of Japan. There are plenty of attractions near Mount Tenpō including a park and a Ferris wheel. It’s even possible to obtain a certificate of your ascent to the summit from the Mount Tenpō Expedition Society for the price of 100 yen. So if you’ve ever wanted to go mountain climbing but are afraid of heights, this could be your go-to mountain!