For this hike I took a bus from Hanno Station to Nago, a few stops past Sawarabi no Yu. I crossed the bridge behind the bus stop, and followed the road for about twenty minutes to the entrance of the hiking trail. The path started to climb steeply up a forested valley, and very soon I had my first views of the green hills of Oku-Musashi.
I reached the top of Mt Warabi (蕨山 warabiyama) a little before noon., a couple of hours after setting off. I hadn’t expected it, but from the top I could see all the way to Tokyo. After lunch, I took a path heading Eastwards. It was possible to continue in the opposite direction towards Mt Arima, but today I didn’t have enough time.
The descent following a long and gently sloping ridge was very enjoyable. There were no other hikers and it was very peaceful. It took me another two hours to reach Sawarabi no Yu where I could enjoy a nice hot bath before hopping onto the bus back to Hanno.
This 300-famous mountain jutting out of the Northern tip of the Hakone outer crater, is one of the easiest, and most popular, climbs in the area. I first found out about it from my Kanto hiking book, and realised that I had already seen its pointy top from the train while traveling by train along the Shonan coast. The main attraction seemed to be the unobstructed view of Mt Fuji from the top, but would Japan’s famous volcano be clear of clouds the day of my hike? and with how many other hikers would I have to share the summit with?
I took a bus from Hakone-Yumoto station bound for Gotemba, but got off around 9am at the entrance of Kintoki Shrine 金時神社 about 30 minutes later (it’s before the tunnel that passes under the outer crater). The bus was fairly empty, slightly unusual for Hakone. However the parking lot next to the shrine was nearly full. These were the days when the highway toll was a flat fee of 1000 yen on weekends, a kind of stimulus put in place after the Lehman shock (as it is called here). The first part of the hike was fairly easy; it took one hour along a winding trail to reach the top of the rim. There were some nice views of the outer crater, with Mt Mikuni above lake Ashi directly opposite, and Mt Koma to its left.
My best shot of Mt Fuji
Turning left, it took another 20 minutes of steep climbing to reach the top of Mt Kintoki 金時山 (kintokiyama or kintokizan). The trees on this section were small, rather like big bushes, and bare of leaves since it was the middle of December. As expected, the top was packed with people and nearly all benches were taken. It seemed to be a popular place to have lunch while enjoying the view of majestic Fuji. Today, the giant was wrapped in grey clouds, with only its white top showing itself. It wasn’t the best view I had ever had, but it was still impressive.
Another hiker gazing at Mt Koma, the highest point of Hakone
I found a spot to sit for lunch. In all directions it was mostly blue skies, and I had a great view of the impressive Hakone crater with the Suruga Bay in the background. This was undoubtedly one of the best views of the Kanto area within close reach of Tokyo. After lunch, I went back down the same way but instead of going back to the shrine, I followed the rim a little further East. The path was lined with tall bamboo grass on both sides, but it wasn’t high enough to block out the view of Mt Myojin ahead. At Yagurasawa Pass 矢倉沢峠, I turned right and headed down. The trail was steep this time, and I had to be careful not to slip. Half an hour later, I was back on the road.
Mt Myojin, another great mountain to climb
Although it was a short hike, I didn’t mind since December days are also short. I definitely want to try my luck again to see Mt Fuji completely free of clouds from the top. One more good point about Hakone, is that there are many hot spring hotels. So after completing the hike in about four hours, I was able to have a nice hot soak before making my way back to Tokyo.
This was one of the first mountains I climbed in Chichibu. I was intrigued by its pyramid-shaped top, spotted on my previous visits to the area. Could it be easily climbed? why was it two-thirds bare of trees despite being way below the treeline? I decided to go on a hot sunny day in the middle of June; in fact it was the day Michael Jackson passed away. The sky was hazy and the view from the top wasn’t great, so I have always been wanting to make another attempt in the cooler months.
Although technically a station to station hike, it’s an hour and a half walk along a paved road from Yokoze station, so getting a taxi to the trailhead is a good option, especially if you’re in a group (it might require prior reservation). I got off the train station at the very early time of 7am so I decided to go on foot. On the way, I got some dramatic views of today’s mountain. It soon became clear that the triangular treeless summit wasn’t natural, but formed through mining – ir was one big quarry. I passed by several factories that seemed to belong to a Hayao Miyazaki movie; they’re probably used to process the mined rock. Further on, the road started to climb, and a beautiful mountain stream appeared on the left side.
The Ghibli-like factories at the base of Mt Buko
I arrived at the “torii” marking the trail entrance at 8h45. It was flanked by a pair of dog or wolf guardians, something I don’t usually see. There are rumours that wolves still exist in Chichibu; perhaps this is where there used to live. Beyond was an extremely steep mossy concrete road heading straight up the mountain through dense cedar forest. Every time I consider redoing this hike, this part comes to mind. Thankfully it was soon over, and I was following a regular hiking path. Half an hour later I reached a waterfall called “fudotaki” 不動滝. Past it was a small log bridge crossing a narrow ravine, adding a little bit of a excitement to the day.
Wolf deity shrine statue
Another hour of hot and sweating climbing brought me to a log staircase that seemed to go on and on, but with some views to the South at the top. Fortunately most of the hike so far had been under the trees. From this point, it was a short walk to the highest point of Mt Buko 武甲山 (bukozan), the height of which seemed to be under a fierce debate judging from a very basic map I saw there – it had 3 different heights with one crossed out! I was surprised to see that the summit area was covered in forest. However, the North side was completely open, and was guarded by a low fence. As I walked up to it, I saw that I was standing at the top of a cliff. Far below was a flat area with tracks for vehicles; below that the forest reappeared. The mining seemed to be making its way from the top of the mountain to the bottom. So far it was one third down but I wonder how low they will go?
The log bridge hidden among the trees
As I mentioned before, the views were hazy, but in clear weather, the view of the Chichibu valley must be amazing. I checked my phone, and was stunned by the news of Michael Jackson’s death. It was nearly noon and, despite the elevation, I was getting quite hot, so I decided to head down and take advantage of the tree shade. I enjoyed this section very much. The path was easy to walk and there good views through the trees. Since it was a weekday, mining was going on, and the mountain was rocked by a couple of explosions just past noon. Probably no risk to hikers, but I was glad to be on the opposite side.
A cool dipping spot (beware of snakes!)
After an hour of downhill, I reached a mountain stream with a small waterfall, next to which was a shallow basin of clear water. I couldn’t resist so I took off my shoes and waded in. After my dip, I spotted a snake nearby so in hindsight it probably wasn’t a good idea! The next part was another hour walking along a forest road. However, a pickup truck suddenly arrived behind me; the driver stopped and kindly offered to drive me to the station. I had this kind of experience more than once in Chichibu, and it speaks volumes of the kindness of its people. Since there were 2 people in the cab, I sat on the flatbed, and was able to enjoy the surrounding nature as we drove off the mountain. I reached the station by 4pm. It was still early, so I decided to take a hot bath before the two-hour train ride back to Ikebukuro.
Japanese rat snake (harmless) or Japanese pit viper (dangerous)?
The puzzle of Mt Buko was now solved to my satisfaction (also thanks to some online information). I have mixed thoughts about mining mountains, especially ones that are so prominent. Although it would be nicer to keep them in their natural shape, there is no denying that this one has become more recognisable and famous, thus attracting more hikers.
Mt Kumotori is the highest point of Tokyo prefecture, first climbed in December 2006, and then again in December 2013 and 2015, staying in the summit hut each time. The purpose of my last 2 visits was for Hatsuhinode. The 2 main trails leading to the summit start from Okutama Lake in Tokyo and Mitsumine Shrine in Saitama and can be reached by bus from Okutama and Chichibu stations respectively; both are best done with an overnight stay in the summit lodge. The panoramic view of the Okutama and Chichibu mountains, as well as Mt Fuji, is definitely worth the effort of the lengthy ascent. Due to its relatively high elevation, the summit area has snow and ice in the winter months and crampons are recommended if climbing in that season.
The Long Ridge Leading to Mt Kumotori on the Okutama Side
Mt Nokogiri (鋸山 のこぎりやま nokogiriyama), literally “Saw Mountain”, due to its jagged summit, is a popular sightseeing spot situated on the Tokyo side of the Boso peninsula. In the Edo period, it used to be a quarry, which explains its smooth cliffs below the top ridge. It can be reached from Hama-Kanaya station on the Sazanami limited express (about 2 hours from Shinjuku), or by using the Tokyo Bay ferry from Kurihama on the Miura peninsula, Kanagawa prefecture (40 minutes each way).
View south of Minami-Boso from the top of the ropeway
View of the Kanaya ferry port
Most visitors prefer to take the Nokogiriyama ropeway up, and then make the roundtrip along the ridgeline to the observatory at Jigoku Nozomi (地獄のぞみ), meaning ” A peak into hell”, a ledge of rock overhanging a cliff. Looking west, one can gaze upon Tokyo bay and Mt Fuji in the distance. Although an entrance fee is required, it also gives access to Nihon-ji temple (日本寺) and the Nihon-ji Daibustu (日本寺大仏), both worthwhile sights on the south side of the mountain.
A peak into hell, the highlight of a visit to Mt Nokogiri
Kannon carved into the cliffside
For those wanting more exercice, it’s possible to walk down to the base of the ropeway on the north side via the Kangetsudai trail (観月台コース), also part of the Kanto Fureai no Michi. On the way, you’ll pass by the impressive Haykushaku-Kannon (百尺観音), carved into the cliffside. For a longer hike, it’s possible to start from Hota station and approach via the Ura-Nokogiri trail (裏鋸コース, the Nokogiri back trail), leading around the back of the mountain and over its highest point. Whichever option you choose, Mt Nokogiri makes a fun and interesting daytrip from Tokyo.
Mt Tsukuba was one of the first mountains I climbed in Japan; its also one of the mountains I’ve been up the most. The shrine at its base is about a 40 minute bus ride from Tsukuba station, itself a 45-minute train ride from Akihabara station with the Tsukuba Express. The mountain is best known for the interestingly shaped rocks below the summit area. The view of the Kanto plain from the top is stunning, and on clear days, even Mt Fuji can be seen. A cable car and a ropeway can shorten the hike for those who’s rather just walk up or down. After the hike it’s possible to take a hot both at one of the several Onsen hotels clustered around Tsukuba Shrine.
Hiking in the Suigo-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park
水郷筑波国定公園
Tsukuba-san (筑波山 つくばさん)
Nyoto-san 女体山 (877m) & Nantai-san 男体山 (871)
Japan 100 Famous Mountain 日本百名山
Climbed in December 2006, November 2009, November 2010, February 2013
I am an avid hiker. Maybe its because when I was a child my parents used to drag me and my brother on long tiring walks in the mountains most weekends. Or maybe I am seduced by the beautiful and complex shapes of mountains and the awe-inspiring vistas from their summits. Or maybe I am just a sucker for physical punishment and get off on pushing my body and my mind to its limits. Whatever the reason, I really enjoy walking up mountains and not just the famous ones. There are literally dozens of greats climbs within reach of Tokyo and, by steering clear of the aforementioned famous ones, you will not have to share them with half the population of Tokyo. The purpose of this blog is to document some of these hikes.
While studying Japanese, one of the things I learned early on was that a kanji used by itself would use its “kun” reading, and two kanji used together would use their respective “on” readings. This is a rule with many exceptions. While reading manga, I discovered many two-kanji words that used their kun readings instead. These are so widespread that I think anybody who has studied Japanese would have come across many examples of this.
However, for a long while I wasn’t aware that the opposite could happen as well i.e. a kanji by itself could use the “on” reading, even though there was already a “kun” reading available. I have to admit that this revelation blew my mind. Not only could a word be expressed by a single kanji using the “kun” reading, and a compound using the “on” reading, but once more by a single kanji using the “on” reading (actually, many words can also be written using the katakana form of the English equivalent, so in theory that’s four ways to say the same thing).
The sentence at the top from the Baby Steps manga can roughly translate as “Japanese players competing around the world meet for a short time [at the all-Japan Tennis Tournament]“. The sentence uses 会す read かいす instead of the more usual 会う read あう. I guess the former sounds more formal for example in a narration. In this case, common 会 compounds such as 会議 and 集会 aren’t suitable. Another option would have been to use 集まる or the compound 集合. Here, 集 used by itself with its “on” reading means “a collection”, and so doesn’t fit the sentence.
I guess this means that Japanese, like most languages, has a certain amount of inbuilt redundancy, allowing it to express the same concepts several ways (as the English language has words of German and French origins). However for Japanese, it’s harder to make this connection since we are taught to read single kanji and compounds differently. But once we notice that the hiragana ending of the standalone kanji is different from the expected one (“す” and not “う”), or even missing, we can infer that we should use the “on” reading.
This is a sentence taken from “The Promised Neverland“. The word at the head of the sentence is read ふくじゅう and means obedience or submission. A literal translation would give “There wasn’t any other way than to obey” although a more natural translation might be “I had to obey“, although the Japanese way makes it sound more resigned. as well as less direct.
What is interesting here is how “仕方” is how the author chose to write it in hiragana instead of kanji. Since Japanese sentences don’t use spaces between words, this makes it doubly difficult to read at a glance, even for a Japanese speaker (I did the test). This is where using the kanji would have been very helpful. This issue crops up quite often when reading manga aimed at younger audiences.
For example, at first glance Doraemon might seem a breeze but it’s a real headache, since it’s 90% kana, making it difficult to distinguish words from grammar. Kids don’t have trouble with it because they are familiar with the sounds of the words. On the other hand, manga targeting adults tend to overuse kanji, using them even for words that are typically written in kana (more on that in another post).
The trick is to be able to recognise common grammatical patterns such as “なかった“(wasn’t) so one can quickly find the “odd word” out, hidden in the middle of all that hiragana. So when using manga as a study tool, handle these long blocks as road bumps and proceed a little more slowly – you might find something interesting.
![Mt Buko (1304m), Yokoze Town, Saitama Prefecture [MAP AVAILABLE]](https://hikingtokyo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/dsc01549.jpg?w=1200)
Hiking Around Tokyo 