November 23, 2013

Okutama Mukashi Michi: Walk from Okutama Station to Lake Okutama

Okutama Mukashi Michi (literally “Okutama’s Old Road”) is a 9km path that roughly follows the Tama River from Okutama Station (the last stop of the Ome Line) to Ogouchi Dam and Lake Okutama. It used to be the main road in the area, until 1945 when the new road, which had been constructed originally for transporting material for the construction of Ogouchi Dam, became open to the public. Nowadays, the Mukashi Michi is a popular walking course that goes through mountain trails and paved roads, passing by suspension bridges, shrines and waterfalls along the way and offering a great view on the surrounding mountains, especially now with autumn colors near their peak.

November 22, 2013

Hike in the Fuji 5 Lakes area: Lake Kawaguchi, Mount Ashiwada, Aokigahara Forest

A couple of weeks ago, I went on a day trip to Fujikawaguchiko, in Yamanashi Prefecture. The area is located on the north side of Mount Fuji, west of Tokyo, and is famous for being a great spot for watching the mountain. It also known under the name “Fuji Five Lakes” (after Lake Kawaguchi, Lake Sai, Lake Shoji, Lake Motosu and Lake Yamanaka). On top of the lakes, the area has mountains and swathes of woodland, the most well-known being Aokigahara Forest, also called the “Sea of trees” (and sometimes “Suicide Forest”).

November 20, 2013

Hike from Hatonosu Valley to Mount Mitake & Mount Hinode

After enjoying the Hatonosu Valley, I decided to hike the trail to Mount Mitake and Mount Hinode.

November 19, 2013

Hatonosu Valley / Otama Trail

The Otama Trail is in Okutama City, in Nishitama District, the westernmost area of Tokyo. It is a gentle path that follows the Tama River from Kori to Okutama through well-built trails, mountain roads and suspension bridges. I followed it for a short section, from Hatonosu to Shiromaru Dam. Autumn colors were not fully there yet but the sights were still great.

November 15, 2013

Hike to Mount Oyama (Tanzawa Mountains)

Mount Oyama is a 1252m peak in the Tanzawa-Oyama Quasi-National Park, in Kanagawa Prefecture. I went there on a day trip a few weeks ago.

November 12, 2013

Hike from Mount Takao to Mount Jinba in the rain

A few weeks ago, I went back to Mount Takao, in Hachioji City, in western Tokyo. This time, the objective was to hike all the way to Mount Jinba, passing through the summits of Mount Kobotoke-Shiroyama and Mount Kagenobu along the way. Although it started to rain quite heavily at some stage, I still had a great time.

October 24, 2013

Hike from Ikusabata to Mitake through Mount Takamizu & Mount Iwatakeishi

Earlier this week, I went on a hike in Ome City, in the western part of Toyko. Heading north of Ikusabata Station on the Ome line, I took a trail through the forest, passing through the summits of Mount Takamizu (高水山, 759m), Mount Iwatakeishi (岩茸石山, 793m) and Mount Sogaku (惣岳山, 756m) before going down to Mitake, where I spent some time strolling on the banks of Tama River.

October 11, 2013

Hike from Mount Mitake to Mount Otake & Okutama

Earlier this week, I went on a hike to Mount Mitake to Mount Otake and Okutama, in the mountains in the western part of Tokyo.

October 2, 2013

Hike to Mount Tsukuba

Last week, I went on a hike to Mount Tsukuba (筑波山), in the city of Tsukuba (Ibaraki Prefecture), north-east of Tokyo.

September 26, 2013

Hike to Mount Takao & Lake Sagami

Last Friday, I went to the western area of Tokyo known as Hachioji and hiked up Mount Takao (599m). From the summit, I followed a trail for a bit and, at the end of the day, found myself near Lake Sagami.

hiking in tokyo