My Favourite Hiking areas around Tokyo

Let me capture my favourite hiking spots around Tokyo. This can give others hints, and I have a convenient page to refer to when choosing a hiking tour together. When you are in the area and in the mood, let me know! I’m out in the green almost every weekend.

As for planning: I have more details for the trips on the wiki. You can simply cut’n’paste the start station into google maps and have it plain the required train/bus trip. With a Suica or Pasmo card, you can pay at the trains, buses, and also the convenience stores to buy food or snacks.

The generic hiking hints are on the wiki. Some of the trips are also on Yamaquest, which has then also hints on whether you should take for example hand gloves with you in the month you go on the trip, and more.

The Mount Jinbasan/Takaosan trip

This is my favourite one, report of what a typical trip looks like is here. Best points of this trip:

Nicely reachable: Fujino/藤野 station, the typical start point, is reachable from central Tokyo in under 90min. The last station is Takaosanguchi/高尾山口, with trains departing frequently towards Tokyo center.
No bus ride, drop out of Fujino station, and start to walk.
The trip spans 4 mountain peaks after each other, and you are not returning the way you came from - I love that
The last peak is Takaosan/高尾山, which is the “default mountain” in Tokyos vicinity. Often quite busy, with families around.
You can also do the trip in revered order: starting from Takaosanguchi/高尾山口. With that, you can even use chairlift or ropeway at the start - you do not need good condition to reach this first peak. If you have power left, you can go for the second peak, it’s 45-60min away.

The trip from Fujino station to Takaosanguchi is 19km, takes 5-7 hours. Another feature: Takaosanguchi station, at the end of the trip, has also a nice bath. The last part between Takaosan and Takaosanguchi station has also a shrine and a temple.

All of the peaks also have at least one restaurant, but I mostly just take onigiri and sweets with me for the trip.

鍋割山/Nabewariyama

This is my second recommendation: the Nabewariyama peak, in the Tanzawa area, in the southwest of Tokyo. Enter ‘大倉（バス）’ as destination in google maps, have it plan the trip until there: it will include a train trip until Shibusawa-station/渋沢駅, and then 20min by bus.

You then walk 2.5-3.5 until the peak. One of the specialities: at the foot of the mountain, you can volunteer to take water bottles with you. At the summit, Yamaudon is sold, quite tasty. The water is used for this. The Udon is just sold until ~13:00, so plan accordingly. For this trip, you walk back the same way as you were climbing up.

The team preparing the Yamaudon has also a website and is on twitter.

御嶽山/(Mnt. Mitake)/大岳山(Odake) trip

Another nice trip, and this time without repitition. Mitake station/御嶽駅 is a bit far from central Tokyo. For the first part, a cable car can be used.
You can walk to the Musashi-Mitake Shrine (武蔵御嶽神社), then you can go to 大岳山(Odakesan, 1266.5m), then via 鋸山(Nokogirisan) you can go to 奥多摩駅(Okutama station)

I do not like the Onsen near Okutama station, but when going back by train, you pass through Kabe-satation, which has a nice bath.

Pictures from that trip, and details on the wiki. The trip is also on yamaquest.

塔ノ岳/とうのだけ/Tounodake trip

Big recommendation also for this one: multiple peaks, great views. Have a trip planned to “ヤビツ峠”, the starting point. The last part will involve a 45min ride by bus. One speciality for this one: there is a rather steep part, where you have to grab a metal chains to safely go down. Totally doable, but you should be aware of this. At the end of the trip, you are at “大倉 (バス)”, so a different place than from where you started. That’s the direction where the steep place with the chains is easy to use, as you are just moving down using the chains.

One time I went for this trip in winter. The bus takes normally 45min and did not even drive until the “ヤビツ峠” that day. I met ice and spikes for the shoes would really have been right that day. The pictures with the snow worked out great :)

Tou no dake

大山/Ooyama trip

This is a really nice one, in the Tanzawa area, south/west of Tokyo. Starting from Isehara-station(伊勢原), you can either walk or take a cablecar. There are 2 routes to choose from, labeled “men way” and “women way”.

Details on the wiki

Honnitasan/本仁田山 trip

A nice trip, 4 hours, in the Okutama area. I’ve done it just a single time.
Details on the wiki.

Takigosan/滝子山 trip

5-7h trip, where you are returning the same way you climbed up. Just did this one a single time. Details.

Sekirouzan/石老山

This is a quite quick one, just 3 hours. You start at the Sagamiko lake. An onsen is also nearby. I did this trip just a single time. Details on the wiki

Fujisan/富士山

Not really Tokyo area :)

Details are here (Ascent) and here.

Questions? Comments? -> Mastodon thread.

Last modified on 2024-05-28