Hikes in Japan: The Mt. Oyama Trail (大山)

BASIC INFORMATION

• Name: Mt. Oyama (大山) Trail
• Where: Isehara, Japan
• Distance: 6 miles (9.6 km)
• Maximum Elevation: 4,108 feet (1,252 m)
• Elevation Gain: 3,436 feet (1,047 m)
• Time: 5-6 hours
• Difficulty: Moderate
• More Information: 30 Day Hikes Near Tokyo

Google Earth Map of the Trail

Directions

Mt. Oyama is accessed via the Odakyu Railway from Shinjuku Station in Tokyo.  Take the Odakyu Line to Isehara Station where buses run regularly to the cable car station located at the trailhead for this hike.  If you want to eliminate most of the elevation gain from this hike the cable car runs up the mountain from 9AM-5PM on weekends and holidays and until 4:30PM on weekdays.  The cable car departs every 20 minutes and lines can get very long so plan accordingly.

Parking

For those that drive to the trailhead there is a small pay parking lot at the end of the road.  Get there early to ensure you get a spot.  If the lot is full there are other small parking lots located further down the road.

Narrative

Arguably outside of when Mt. Fuji is visible, Mt. Oyama is the most recognizable mountain to people who live in Tokyo.  This is because Mt. Oyama has a pyramid shape that is located at the very end of the Tanzawa Mountain chain right near the ocean.  This makes the mountain easily recognizable from most areas for people if they are high enough to look over all the buildings.  There are multiple trails that lead to the summit of Mt. Oyama, but the most popular trailhead is located at the cable car station in Isehara.  There is a nice signboard at the trailhead that shows the various trails leading up Mt. Oyama:

I got an early 5:30 AM start on my hike up Mt. Oyama which meant that cable car was not an option for me.  From the trailhead I had to walk through the village just to get to the cable car station:

This was the start of what would prove to be a long morning of stair climbing.  This hike has more stairs than any other trail I have ever hiked:

After walking through the village I arrived at the cable car station. There was absolutely no one on the trail this early in the morning.  However, things would be different when I returned later that day and the cable car station was a madhouse of activity:

The hike up Mt. Oyama has long been a Japanese pilgrimage site with two temples and smaller shrines located all along the hiking course:

Something that is popular to do in Japan is to dress some of the small Buddhist statues with red hats and capes:

As I hiked up the trail I ascended up what seemed like never-ending staircases.  The below large staircase though was actually interesting to walk up due to all detailed Buddhist sculptures on it:

Every single sculpture showed a different deity. Some looked aggressive:

Others looked more nice and polite:

After about an hour of hiking I reached the Oyama-dera Temple.  I was there early enough that not even the monks were up yet and I had the whole place to myself:

A common site at Japanese temples are prayers that people buy and hang at the temple:

The temple also had a basin for people to drink spring water from:

Something unique about this temple compared to others I have seen in Japan is that it has a very ornate stone pagoda located right next to it:

There was also a small cave with some Buddhist statues in it that were being illuminated by the rays of the rising sun:

Here is look back towards the rising sun:

After spending a few minutes checking out the temple I then proceeded up the trail which featured of course more stairs before crossing over a bridge:

After hiking up many more stairs I eventually reached the second major temple on this hike, Oyama Afuri Shrine.  Of course to get to the shrine I had to hike up more steps:

The Oyama-Afuri Shimosa Shrine is located at about 2/3 of the way up Mt. Oyama and is believed to be more than 2,000 years old.  The shrine is dedicated to the God of Sake, mountains, thunder, and water.  The word “Afuri” comes from the Japanese word for rainfall:

Here is the view of the sunrise looking towards the Kanto Plain region from the temple:

Here is the is the main place of worship at the temple that people for centuries have conducted pilgrimages to.  Pilgrimages to this shrine became more popular during Japan’s Edo Period:

Near the shrine is a rock outcropping decorated with various tablets and small statues:

Here is a wide angle view of the Oyama-Afuri Shimosa Shrine:

As I walked to the back of the temple to find the trail up the mountain I noticed the below statue of two young children.  There was no English translation so I am not sure what the statue is commemorating. If anyone knows please leave a comment:

At the back of the shrine is where the Tohai-mon gate is located that leads to the Mt. Oyama Summit.  Of course the summit trail begins with a large staircase:

According to a sign I passed it was only going to take me 40 more minutes to reach the summit:

Fortunately for most of the rest of the walk to the summit it was mostly a steep trail to follow which I liked better than walking up staircases:

What stairs there were leading to the summit were limited to boardwalks:

Near the final push to the summit I reached a viewpoint which featured the first view of Mt. Fuji from this trail:

From the viewpoint a sign said I had only .6 more kilometers to go to reach the summit:

Mt. Oyama was not going to allow me to access its summit without ascending yet more stairs:

I next came to a large tori gate with a final set of stone steps that led to the summit:

On the summit I walked passed this small shrine that appeared closed for the year:

There was also this larger shrine building that was also locked up:

Below is the view from the summit of Mt. Oyama looking towards the Kanto Plain region of Japan.  The Pacific Ocean and Tokyo can all be seen in the distance from Mt. Oyama:

I next walked over to the telecommunications towers on the summit of the mountain:

Near the telecommunications towers there is a great view of Mt. Fuji rising up in the distance:

I was also able to get a view of the Japanese coastline visible to the south:

From the summit I decided to take a different trail back to the Oyama-Afuri Shimosa Shrine to make this a loop hike.  From the summit I followed the descent trail towards Miharashidai:

This trail had some sections rockier than the ascent trail that had chains installed to help with the descent:

There were warning signs installed as well to warn of rock slides:

There was plenty of trail signs along the path that made it easy to find Miharashidai:

Miharashidai I found to be a beautiful some what flat wooded area:

This area also had a number of picnic tables that provide a nice view down the side of the mountain:

Here is the view from the picnic tables:

From Miharashidai there was also I nice view looking up towards the summit of Mt. Oyama that I had just been on:

Miharashidai is also a major trail intersection with various trails going off in different directions:

I took the trail that led into the thick forest back to Oyama-Afuri Shimosa Shrine:

The trail contoured the side of the mountain to get back to the temple.  Along the way I had to cross over this bridge:

Next to the bridge there is a small shrine:

Behind the shrine there is a small waterfall that flows under the bridge:

Once I got back to Oyama-Afuri Shimosa Shrine it was packed with people because the cable car was now bringing crowds of people up the mountain:

From the temple I made very quick time back down the mountain because of how steep it is.  I soon found myself walking past the cable car station which now featured long lines of tourists waiting for their turn to be taken up the mountain:

From the cable car station I then walked back through the small village to the parking lot where I was parked:

Conclusion

The hike up Mt. Oyama was 6 miles roundtrip with over 3,000 feet of elevation gain.  This makes this hike challenging for anyone with small kids or those with poor fitness.  Fortunately the cable car allows anyone to experience Mt. Oyama.  However, getting to the summit and unlocking views of Mt. Fuji still requires about an hour walk to the summit from the temple that should be doable for most people.  If you do take the cable car expect large crowds to contend with since this is a popular tourist location near Tokyo.  Regardless of how you get up Mt. Oyama it is well worth visiting for its beautiful temples and scenic views.