Hikes in Japan: The Mt. Bukkasan Trail (仏果山)

BASIC INFORMATION

• Name: The Mt. Bukkasan Trail (仏果山)
• Location: Lake Miyagase, Japan
• Distance: 3.8 miles (6.1 km)
• Max Elevation: 2,450 feet (747 m)
• Elevation Gain: 1,653 feet (503 m)
• Time: 2-3 hours
• Difficulty: Medium
• More Information: 30 Day Hikes Near Tokyo

Google Earth Map of the Hike

Approximate Trail Route

Elevation Map of the Trail

Directions

The trailhead for this hike is located at the Otanasawahiroba Parking Lot along the shores of Lake Miyagase in the Tanzawa Mountains.  The drive along Highways 514 and 64 to the trailhead is a scenic one.  If coming from Tokyo by train, take the Odakyu line to Hon-Atsugi Station.  At this station go to the north exit and take bus number 5.  This bus leads to Lake Miyagase where you can get off at the bus stop at Otanasawahiroba Parking Lot where the trailhead is located.

Parking

The parking lot has spaces for about 15 vehicles and opens at 8:00 AM.  However, I arrived at 6:30 AM and the gate to the parking lot was already open.  If you do decide to arrive early like I did, just have a back up plan in mind if the gate is locked.  By the time I returned to the trailhead around 10:00 AM the lot was completely full, so if driving get here early to ensure you can get a space.  The best thing about this parking lot is that it is free, however it has no restroom facilities so if you need to use the restroom you will need to find a tree along the trail.

Narrative

Lake Miyagase in the Tanzawa Mountains west of Tokyo is beautiful lake formed by its namesake the Miyagase Dam.  The lake is completely surrounded by mountains with various hiking trails.  However, the lake’s distance from Tokyo means the trails here do not get as crowded as other more easily accessible peaks in the region.

I wanted to find a good spot to hike and get some great views of the area and read that Mt. Bukka also known as Bukkasan was one of the great places to do this.  So on a weekend morning I got up early and made the drive over to Lake Miyagase and parked at the Otanasawahiroba Parking Lot.  Adjacent to the lot there is a small park that was overgrown with weeds that provided picnic areas and additional views of the lake.

The park also had this signboard depicting the various roads around Lake Miyagase.  The lake really is scenic and well worth touring by car by those who visit the area with a vehicle:

The trailhead for the Mt. Bukkasan hike is located in the opposite direction from the park.  I followed the sidewalk that passes by the parking lot towards the trailhead:

Here is the view of Lake Miyagase from the sidewalk:

After a short distance I spotted the trailhead across the road from the sidewalk:

At the trailhead there is a small map that shows the route up Mt. Bukka and other trails in the area:

Since it was early morning before 7:00 AM, it was still a bit chilly out so I was looking forward to heading up this trail to warm up.  From the trailhead I first proceeded up the first of many steps as I ascended the Mt. Bukkasan Trail.  The quick stair workout did begin to warm me up:

I next saw a sign that said the summit of Mt. Bukkasan was 2.7 kilometers away.  Another nearby mountain, Mt. Takatoriyama was 2.5 kilometers away:

After the staircases, the trail begins its ascent through a dense forest:

I found the trail to be in great shape to include wooden steps in various areas to help prevent erosion:

There was also plenty of signs along the trail to prevent people from getting lost.  Most of the signs are in Japanese, but just look for the kanji of 仏果山 which means Mt. Bukkasan:

Some other signs I saw was one showing good trail behavior:

Another sign warned of tree cutting in the area:

Along the route someone also put in a small shinto shrine below this tree:

As I got higher up the mountain I could feel the sunshine beginning to penetrate through the trees which was nice.  It actually became warm enough for me to take off my light jacket:

The trail actually leveled off for a short distance as it crossed over a spur line that connected to the ridge that runs between Mt. Takatoriyama and Mt. Bukkasan:

However, the leveled off section of this hike did not last long as I came to the steepest staircase section of this hike:

The staircase led to a small picnic area just below the summit ridgeline:

From the picnic area I made the push up to the summit ridgeline.  The ridgeline had this large sign on it saying I was at 663 meters in altitude:

It also had this trail marker showing that Mt. Takatoriyama was only .5 kilometers away and Mt. Bukkasan was .7 kilometers away:

The ridgeline I found to be the least enjoyable part of the hike because of its rollercoaster nature.  It had a few ups:

And a few steep downward sections:

A hate losing elevation on hikes and I lost plenty of it on this ridgeline that I would later have to regain.  In some sections of the ridge the descent is steep enough that ladders and ropes are installed to assist hikers:

Along the ridgeline there is a few benches installed to rest on before making the final summit push:

As I hiked up the trail I spotted a bird that some predator had killed.  Out of all the hiking I have done in Japan this is the first time I have seen this happen:

As I hiked across the ridgeline I had no views because it is covered in trees.  However, in one section near the benches I could barely see the summit of Mt. Bukkasan ahead of me through the trees:

As I got near the summit I had to cross over a boardwalk and a final flight of stairs:

At the top of the stairs I found myself on the summit of Mt. Bukkasan which was capped with a small Buddhist statue below a signboard with the peak’s name and elevation of 747 meters (2,450 feet) written on it:

Here is a closer look at the summit sign:

There was another pole near the sign that had Mt. Bukkasan written in English on it:

The summit also had a large number of picnic tables on it.  This leads me to believe this is probably a pretty popular lunch time hike location during the summer months:

However, the best part of the summit was the large lookout tower that rises above the treetops:

The views of the region from lookout tower are some of the best to be found in the area.  Here is the view looking southwest towards the pyramid shaped Mt. Oyama:

Here is a closer look at Mt. Oyama which I have previously hiked up:

Below me I could see Lake Miyagase:

Across from me towards the north I could see the 705 meter (2,312 feet) Mt. Takatoriyama:

This mountain can be accessed from the same trailhead as Mt. Bukkasan:

Here is a panorama of the view looking west towards the beautiful Tanzawa Mountains:

Out in the far northwest I could see the ridgeline that runs between Mt. Jinba, Mt. Kagenobu, and Mt. Takao which is a very popular long distance hike in the area:

Further out in the distance I could see the pointy summit of the 1,266 meter (4,154 feet) Mt. Odake:

Here is the view looking north where I could see a ridgeline heading down to the city below:

Looking northeast and right below me I could see the Nakatsu River that eventually flows into the Sagami River before exiting into the nearby Pacific Ocean:

Out in the distance I could actually see the Pacific Ocean:

Also below me I could see the Tobio Hills that I had previously hiked up and the tall skyscrapers of Tokyo in the far distance:

Here is a panorama of the view:

After I finished taking in the views from the lookout tower I then unpacked my DJI Mini Pro 3 drone.  I recently purchased this new drone and found that it is a fantastically lightweight to bring on long hikes.  Here is the picture from the drone of me standing on the lookout tower:

Here is a picture from the drone of the impressive Ondanasawa Bridge that runs along the shoreline of Lake Miyagase:

Here is a panorama picture from the drone where the lookout tower is visible in the center of the photograph:

I also took some great video from the drone that I plan to post once I get a chance to edit it.  Overall though I was happy to get some great pictures of the surrounding mountains that I would not have been able to otherwise get without the drone.  After spending about an hour on the summit I then simply retraced my steps backdown the trail.  I made it back to the trailhead in less than hour, but the overall hike took about 3 hours to complete.  On the way down I saw many more people heading up to the summit, so for people who want the summit for themselves you need to get an early start like I did because by 10:00 AM there will be a lot of people on the top of the mountain.

Conclusion

Overall the Mt. Bukkasan Trail is one of my favorite hikes in the Tanzawa Mountains.  The trail is well maintained, the hike is a challenging, but not grueling, 3.8 miles long, and the summit lookout tower provides some of the best views of the region.  Additionally this trail can be hiked by young kids, but on the summit ridge there are a few areas with ropes and ladders that they may need assistance with.  Anyone that does complete this hike will definitely appreciate the beautiful forest scenery and fantastic summit views of the Tanzawa Mountains, Lake Miyagase, and the Kanto Plain region.