Hikes in Japan: The Mt. Takatori Trail (高取山)

BASIC INFORMATION

• Name: Mt. Takatori Trail ((高取山))
• Location: Atsugi, Japan
• Distance: 3.5 miles (5.6 km)
• Max Elevation: 2,267 feet (691 m)
• Elevation Gain: 1,595 feet (486 m)
• Time: 1.5-2.0 hours
• Difficulty: Medium
• More Information: 30 Day Hikes Near Tokyo

Google Earth 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 09:30 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

I had previously came to the beautiful Lake Miyagase area west of Tokyo in order to hike up the 2,450 foot (747 m) Mt. Bukka (仏果山).  I decided on a return trip to Lake Miyagase in order to hike up the 2,267 feet (691 m) Mt. Takatori (高取山), which rises a short distance to the north of Mt. Bukka.  I arrived at about 05:30 in the morning and as I stood along the shore of the lake it was still dark out.  In the sky I could see a number of stars that I normally cannot see due to the bright lights in the Tokyo area:

The hike up Mt. Takatori began at the same Otanasawahiroba Parking Lot that I used for my hike up Mt. Bukka.  The trailhead is accessed by hiking a short distance up the road and then crossing it to walk up some concrete stars that leads to the trail:

From the trailhead it is a steep climb up the side of the mountain which is made easier with the installation of wooden steps in key areas:

As the sun began to rise and illuminate the surrounding forest I was able to enjoy the remaining fall colors that surrounded me:

A little over halfway up the initial ascent I came to a small picnic area.  This makes for a good spot for hikers to take a break at before continuing the ascent up to the ridgeline between Mt. Bukka and Mt. Takatori:

From the picnic area it is one last steep ascent before reaching the 663 meter high ridgeline between the two mountains that is marked with the below sign:

From here hikers can go right to Mt. Bukka or left to Mt. Takatori.  Since I had already previously visited Mt. Bukka I made the left and followed the ridgeline towards Mt. Takatori:

The hiking along this ridgeline does not have as much of a rollercoaster effect as the ridgeline heading towards Mt. Bukka does.  Regardless there is a bench along this ridgeline for anyone needing to take a short break before making the final push towards the summit of Mt. Takatori:

After passing the bench I had to complete one last short ascent to the top of Mt. Takatori.  The summit of the peak is identified with a sign showing the mountain’s name in Kanji and its elevation of 705.7 meters:

The summit also has a number of picnic tables to support the high number of hikers that visit this mountain summit during the warmer months.  Since it was early and freezing cold outside, I had the summit of the mountain all to myself:

However, the biggest feature on the summit is without a doubt it’s forest observation tower:

Just like the tower on Mt. Bukka this tower gives hikers unobstructed views over the surrounding treetops.  For example here is the view looking east with the sun rising over the nearby Mt. Bukka:

Here is a wider panorama photo of the view:

The beams of sunlight gave a beautiful orange glow on the high peaks of the Tanzawa Mountains rising above Lake Miyagase:

The observation tower was a fantastic spot to use my Peak Visor app to identify the nearby mountains from.  Mt. Hirugatake at 5,495 feet is the highest peak in the Tanazawa Mountains:

Below is the view looking north towards towards Tokyo.  In the foreground the Tobio Hills I have previously hike up can be seen:

Here is a closer look of the view of Tokyo out in the distance where the Skytree can be seen:

After a few minutes of taking in the views from the tower, I then decided to go and fly my DJI Mini Pro 3 drone.  Below is a picture of Lake Miyagase with me standing on the observation tower on the summit of Mt. Takatori:

Here is a closer look at me on the observation tower:

Here is the view from the drone looking south towards the pyramid shaped Mt. Oyama in distance:

Here is the view of the Odanasawa Bridge below me with the small Miyagase village located across the lake from it:

To the left of the bridge is where the parking lot and trailhead for this hike is located.  Pictured below you can see the ridgeline that I had to hike up to reach the summit of Mt. Takatori:

This next picture shows the ridgeline that is hiked to access the summit of Mt. Takatori:

Here is the view looking at the southwestern portion of Lake Miyagase:

Here is the far end of the Lake Miyagase where the Miyagase Dam is located:

This next picture from my drone is looking north at Mt. Takatori with the Tokyo region in the background.  If you look closely you can see the observation tower:

Here is a closer look at the observation tower:

After spending about an hour and half of flying my drone around I then decided to begin my descent back down the mountain:

During my ascent early in the morning I saw no other hikers.  However, as I descended around 9:00 AM I passed a number of hikers heading up the trail.  The descent was very quick and I made it back to the trailhead in less than an hour:

Here is a view from the trailhead of Lake Miyagase:

I then walked back to the parking lot and found it packed with cars:

As soon as I approached my vehicle I could see a vehicle idling waiting for a parking space readying to take my spot as soon as I left.  So for anyone coming to this parking lot it is best to at least get here at least by 9:00 AM to ensure you get a spot because it is clearly a popular spot on weekends.

Conclusion

The Mt. Takatori Trail is 3.5 miles (5.6 km) in length with a respectable 1,595 feet (486 m) of elevation gain. I found the trail to be steep, but in mostly great shape. The views from Mt. Takatori are outstanding due to the observation tower on its summit. Overall the hike up Mt. Takatori is a little bit easier than the nearby Mt. Bukka and has similar views.  For those bringing young kids with them I recommend Mt. Takatori because of this factor.  Regardless both mountains are great hikes that provide some of the best views of the Tanzawa Mountains.