I had climbed this mountain once before in 2014, hiking up and down the western side. This time, I wanted to cross over to the other side; I would go up the trail I had descended the previous time, as it is the better of the two. Hopefully, the trail on the other side would be just as nice. Since trains and buses run frequently this close to Tokyo, access would be straightforward. The weather was supposed to be good again, and I was also hoping for a glimpse of Mt Fuji across Sagami bay.
The peaks of Mt Hodai and Mt Miura-Fuji near the heel of the Miura peninsula
I rode the Shonan-Shinjuku line directly to the seaside resort of Zushi, where I caught one of the frequent buses heading south along the western coast of the Miura peninsula. I could already see Mt Fuji from the bus; after getting off, I backtracked for a few minutes to “Bonten no Hana” (梵天の鼻 meaning the Brahma’s nose), a rocky promontory from where I snapped some pictures of Japan’s most famous mountain. On its right, I could see the Tanzawa mountains, and to the left, the Hakone mountains.
Mt Fuji from the Brahma’s nose
Sun along the Maeda River Promenade
Before starting my hike, I had an early lunch at nearby Soba Okeya, so I only reached the Maeda River Promenade entrance (前田川遊歩道 maedagawa-yuhodo) at 1pm (also part of the Fureai no michi). It was a small river but enjoyable to walk along in the sunny winter weather, and I shared the trail with many locals. Twenty minutes later I reached the end of the promenade and the start of the hiking trail. First, it followed a long curving log staircase up the mountain side, then alternated between flat and climbing sections. The surrounding forest reminded me of hiking in Kamakura.
Start of the hiking trail up Mt Ogusu
One of the level sections of the trail
One hour later, I arrived at a tall white tower; it looked quite spectacular against the blue sky. From the top, I had good views of the entire Miura peninsula; directly west, Mt Fuji was still faintly visible; looking north, I could see the hills of the Miura Alps with the skyscrapers of Yokohama in the background. However this wasn’t the summit yet. It took another ten minutes to reach the the top of Mt Ogusu (大楠山 おおぐすやま oogusu-yama), the highest point of the Miura peninsula, and a hundred famous mountain of Kanto.
The white tower on the way to the summit
View towards Sagami bay from Mt Ogusu
There was another tower here, just as tall as the previous one but made of metal. From the top, I had an excellent view to the south of the flat boot-shaped extremity of the Miura peninsula. Westwards was Yokotsuka city and its port. Directly above, a black kite bird (“tobi” in Japanese) was circling in the sky. It was already past 3pm and time to head down. At first, I walked down a steep staircase at the bottom of which I turned sharply left and hugged the mountain side. At one point, I passed next to a golf course and through a tunnel made of a protective netting similar to the one near Miyazawa Lake.
The southern part of the Miura peninsula
The Miura Alps with Yokohama behind
Just past the golf course, I reached a fork in the trail. As I was confirming the way in my hiking book, I suddenly turned around, and saw a cat watching me from the path; halfway up a mountain was certainly an odd place for a cat to be. The trail now descended to the bottom of the valley through the forest. I was near the center of the Miura peninsula, and it was easy to forget that I was only 20 kilometers away from Yokohama. There were no other hikers here and I could enjoy the tranquility of nature. As when I had hiked the Rokoku pass, I was occasionally spooked by the many squirrels scampering up and down the tree branches (could be the reason for the cat).
Pleasant hiking on the Miura peninsula
Few hikers but a well-maintained trail
At 4pm, I reached the stream at the bottom of the valley. After crossing two small concrete bridges, I was back on a countryside road. A few minutes later, I was walking through the suburbs of Yokotsuka city; I spotted a few more cats, as well as many daffodils which flower at this time of the year. Thirty minutes later, I reached a bus stop on a busy road which cuts through the center of the peninsula. After a short ride, I was back at Zushi station where I boarded the Shonan-Shinjuku line for the one hour train ride back to Tokyo.
See the view from the highest point of the Miura peninsula
Hiking Around Tokyo 