Mount Nagata, Mountain summit in Yakushima Island, Japan

Mount Nagata is a summit on Yakushima Island, Japan, rising to 1,913 m, the island's second-highest peak after Mount Miyanoura. Its summit ridge stands like a screen, with bare granite scattered on the slopes and a huge rock called Rosoku-iwa just below the west side. Near the top, dwarf bamboo covers the ground with patches of Yakushima rhododendron.

Yakushima was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1993, making it Japan's first natural site to receive this status, and Mount Nagata sits within that protected area. The island's forests survived largely intact over the centuries because the terrain made large-scale use difficult.

Mount Nagata has long been the object of take-mairi, a mountain pilgrimage from Nagata village; sand from Nagata Beach was offered at the small shrine to Ippon Hōju Daigongen in the rock shelter just below the summit. The monk Nichizō passed through in 1448 and found the practice already established. The traditional route climbs from Nagata Bridge via Yokogawa Gorge and the Ubaga-Iwaya rock at 1,340 m.

Start early in the day since clouds tend to move in by late morning and can make the upper slopes harder to navigate. The paths are often wet even in dry weather, so waterproof footwear and an extra layer are worth bringing regardless of the forecast.

The summit is covered with Yaku-sasa bamboo and dotted with Yakushima rhododendron, along with alpine plants such as Issun-kingka, Shakunage-hanpi and Yakushima-hotsutsuji. Just below the western side of the summit stands a huge rock called Rosoku-iwa (Candle Rock), and the ridge is strewn with exposed granite.