Hikes in Japan: The Mt. Daimyoujin Trail

BASIC INFORMATION

• Name: The Mt. Daimyoujin Trail
• Location: Sagamiko, Japan
• Distance: 1.5 miles (2.4 km)
• Max Elevation: 1,768 feet (539 m)
• Elevation Gain: 880 feet (268 m)
• Time: 1.5 hours
• Difficulty: Medium
• More Information: 30 Day Hikes Near Tokyo

Google Earth Map of the Trail

Directions

Getting to the trailhead without using a car would be challenging.  Hikers can take the train from Hachioji Station to Sagamiko Station.  From there a bus can be taken to the Sagami Pleasure Forest which is an amusement park in the vicinity of the trailhead.  From the Sagami Pleasure Forest hikers will need to walk across the street and up through the adjacent neighborhood to Road 517.  Then follow the winding road for about a mile to the trailhead.

Parking

For those driving to the Mt. Daimyoujin there is a parking lot located across the street from the trailhead.  However, since I arrived early in the morning around 6:30 AM the gate was locked.  I parked on the side of the entranceway out of the way in case someone came to open the gate.  However, when I returned from my hike at around 9:00 AM the gate was still locked.  There was no sign stating what the hours for the gate are.  So just keep this in mind if visiting this trailhead.

Narrative

I bought a trail map of hikes in the Tanzawa Mountains area from the local Montbell store.  I read that a hike to the summit of Mt. Daimyoujin had a great view of the area.  I had not hiked in this part of the region before and decided to go and check it out.  After making the pleasant drive to the Sagamihara Lake area, I parked my van at the trailhead.  I then walked across the street to access the trailhead:

The trailhead is marked with a big sign that says “observatory daimyoujin mountain trail entrance”:

After ascending the initial staircase, the trail proceeded to quickly gain elevation:

I soon came to a small clearing and already had a good view of the area to include Lake Sagami right below me:

I could also see in the distance from the clearing, Mt. Kagenobu (left) and the saddle that runs from it to Mt. Shiroyama (right) which is near the very popular Mt. Takao hike:

Here is a closer look at Mt. Kagenobu where the Chou Expressway can be seen passing through its saddle with Mt. Shiroyama:

Here is a closer look at Mt. Shiroyama:

I could also see Mt. Jinba which is another peak I have previously hiked up out in the distance.  The long distance hike from Mt. Jinba to Mt. Takao is very popular course for people in the Tokyo area to undertake:

After taking in the views from the clearing I then continued my steady ascent up the trail:

Along the way there are a few trails that break off from the main trail, but there are plenty of sign posts pointing the way towards Mt. Daimyoujin:

There was one short stretch of the hike where I actually descended a short ways:

However, I was soon ascending up the steepest part of the trail that had a rope installed to help hikers up the trail:

I then came to an area that had a bench for those needing a break before making the final push to the summit:

The final section of the trail was narrow, but not to difficult to ascend:

I soon saw the observatory platform rising above me:

Adjacent to the observatory is a large map that depicts all the various trails in the region.  There are various multi-day hikes that can be completed in this area:

From Mt. Daimyoujin the trail continues to the nearby Mt. Sekirouzan which is a hike I intend to complete on another day:

On the Mt. Daimyoujin observatory there are two large benches that I had all to myself the day I hiked this trail:

In fact the entire morning I was on the trail I saw no other hikers, so for anyone looking to escape the crowds of the Tokyo region this trail is one place where you can do this.  I hiked this trail during the winter, so I suspect there will be more hikers on the trail during the warmer months.  Here is the view from the observatory overlooking Lake Sagami:

From the observatory I could also see the Sagami Pleasure Forest amusement park and hot spring location:

Here is a panorama of the view which is unfortunately partly obscured by power lines:

However, I brought my DJI Mini Pro 3 drone with me so I was able to deploy it to get much better pictures of the surrounding area.  Here is a picture of me on the observatory as I launched my drone with Mt. Fuji in the background:

Views of Mt. Fuji from Mt. Daimyoujin viewing platform are all obscured by the trees.  Having my drone allowed me to get some beautiful photos of this iconic mountain:

Here is also a view of Sagami Lake from my drone without being obscured by trees or power lines:

Interestingly from my drone I was able to spot the house pictured below located on a tiny island in Sagami Lake.  It would be interesting to know if this is a vacation home or actually some place people live:

Further up Sagami Lake I could see where the Katsura River flows into the lake created by a nearby dam:

The Katsura River flows from its source at Lake Yamanka-ko located at the base of Mt. Fuji.  The below picture shows the view looking back towards the direction of Tokyo.  On the middle left of the photo Mt. Takao can be seen:

This next picture is looking towards the summit of Mt. Sekirouzan which is the adjacent mountain that I plan to hike sometime in the spring:

I ultimately ended up spending more time flying my drone from the lookout than it took for me to hike up Mt. Daimyoujin.  The hike up took me about an hour and the hike back down took about half that time. So this hike can be completed in less than two hours if don’t spend a long time on the summit like I did.  What can I say flying my DJI Mini Pro 3 drone is fun!

Conclusion