Hikes in Japan: The Mt. Sankodai Trail

BASIC INFORMATION

• Name: The Mt. Sankodai Trail
• Location: Kawaguchiko, Japan
• Distance: 2.75 miles (4.4 km)
• Max Elevation: 3,943 feet (1,202 m)
• Elevation Gain: 723 feet (220 m)
• Time: 1-2 hours
• Difficulty: Easy
• More Information: 30 Day Hikes Near Tokyo

Google Earth Map of the Trail

Directions

The trailhead for the Mt. Sankodai hike is located just off of Highway 139 west of Kawaguchiko.  The highway does have bus service with stops on Highway 139 that would require hikers to walk up the road to the trailhead.  The easiest way to access the trailhead is to drive via taxi or your own car.

Parking

Parking for this hike is located in a large dirt lot across the street from the Kyodai Kiso Horse Ranch.  The lot is huge and has plenty of parking:

Narrative

I really enjoy hikes that have good views of Mt. Fuji.  I had read that Mt. Sankodai was a family friendly trail that offered great views of Mt. Fuji and the surrounding area.  So I packed up my kids and made the drive over to the Kawaguchiko area to complete this hike.  When we parked at the trailhead we noticed that there was a horse ranch across the street.  Unfortunately we arrived too late in the day to complete the hike and ride horses afterwards.  So I made a mental note to come back here sometime to take my kids horse riding.

From the horse ranch there is a dirt road that leads up the adjacent hillside:

Near the start of the hike this deteriorating map provides an overview of the area:

Fortunately no map is really needed for this trail, we followed the dirt road upwards for the majority of the hike:

As we hiked up the road we did have to occasionally make way for vehicles speeding up the road.  This is an option for those that don’t want to walk to the viewpoint, but make sure your vehicle has some clearance because there are large potholes on this road.  After about 30-45 minutes of hiking we reached an intersection with a steep trail:

After about 5 minutes we found ourselves approaching a business located on the top of the hill.  This hill is called Mt. Kyodai which the horse ranch is named after.  The business on top of Mt. Kyodai sells snacks, drinks, and souvenirs:

However, this business is not the end of the hike.  We walked around the backside of the business where a large parking lot is located.  This is where people driving up to the viewpoint need to park:

At the far end of the parking lot we found a short trail that led to Mt. Sankodai:

There are a few other trails that converge here, but we had no problems finding the viewpoint by just following the signs to Mt. Sankodai:

We soon found ourselves on the summit of Mt. Sankodai which had a broad viewing area with a few picnic tables to sit at:

Here is a picture of the summit marker at 1,202 meters which is 3,943 feet to us Americans:

There was also a couple of signboards on the summit that had maps and explained the natural history of the area:

Here is a closer look at the map that shows the various trails and roads in the area that lead to Mt. Fuji’s famous Five Lakes:

The lake that can be seen the best from Mt. Sankodai is Saiko Lake just below it:

Here is a panorama view of the lake:

The other lake that could be seen in the distance is Lake Motosu.

The lake is divided from Saiko Lake by the Aokigahara Forest.  This forest also known as the “Suicide Forest” due to the amount of suicides that happen here, has grown over an ancient lava flow.  Before this lava flow Saiko Lake, Lake Motsu, Lake Shoji, Lake Kawaguchiko were all connected as one giant lake.  The lava flow cut them off from each other, but it is believed that the lakes may still be connected by underground lava tubes:

All this lava came from parasitic cones that spewed lava from the slopes of Mt. Fuji.  These parasitic cones can are visible from Mt. Sankodai:

However, the most prominent view from Mt. Sankodai is without Mt. Fuji itself which towers over the viewpoint:

My kids and I spent about 30 minutes on the summit taking in the views before heading back down the mountain.  We completed this roundtrip hike in less than two hours.  What surprised me the most about this hike was how few people we saw on the mountain despite this being a beautiful summer weekend.  On the summit we saw only one other person and on the way down we passed one family hiking up, that was it.  For anyone looking to escape crowds that frequent other trails in the area, the Mt. Sankodai Trail is a pretty good option.

Conclusion

Mt. Sankodai is definitely an easy family friendly hike that I recommend people visiting the Kawaguchiko area check out, especially if they are driving their own vehicle to access the trailhead with with.  The trail is less than 3 miles long and not very steep making it easily walkable for most people.  For those that do complete this hike they will be rewarded with nice views of Mt. Fuji, the Aokigahara Forest, and nearby lakes.