Mt. Shichimen is a mountain of faith where the Buddhist priest Nichiren built a temple in 1274. At the foot of the mountain is the Akasawa settlement, which flourished as a lodging ground for believers of the Nichiren Buddhism sect visiting the mountain. As many as 30,000 worshipers climb the mountain every summer. There is a proprietress of a long-established inn who makes thousands of rice balls every summer for the pilgrims to eat. Two rice balls and some pickles. That may not seem much, but it is a good lunch for the pilgrims.

The Furuya settlement is located in a great canyon within the Southern Alps. Anything bringing misfortunes to people is called "Mushi" in this area, and has been feared. Since ancient times, the crops in the fields of this settlement have been protected by amulets restraining the Mushi. The amulets, which are adorned with written scripts from the Nichiren Buddhism Lotus Sutra, are replaced in every August praying for a good harvest.

It was 40 million years ago when the Southern Alps began to form. The ocean floor plate struck the continent to create a geological upheaval. The Southern Alps is still growing by 4 millimeters each year. Among the mountain ranges, the 3,193-meter-high Mt. Kita is the second highest mountain in Japan after Mt. Fuji. The "Buttress," a 600-meter-high large rock wall, stretches up to its summit.