Hikes in Japan: The Mt. Arakurayama Loop Trail

BASIC INFORMATION

• Name: The Mt. Arakurayama Loop Trail
• Location: Fujiyoshida, Japan
• Distance: 4.45 miles (7.2 km)
• Max Elevation: 3,872 feet (1,180 m)
• Elevation Gain: 1,620 feet (493 m)
• Time: 2-4 hours
• Difficulty: Easy
• More Information: 30 Day Hikes Near Tokyo

Google Earth Map of the Trail

Elevation Map of the Mt. Arakurayama Loop Trail

Directions

Getting to Fujiyoshida is pretty easy by rail by taking the Fujikyu Railway line from Tokyo to Shimo-Yoshida Station and walking up to the pagoda.  Various buses also run to the shrine and Fujiyoshida is easily accessed by car by taking the Chuo expressway west from Tokyo. More information about travel to Fujiyoshida can be found at this link.

Parking

There is a small parking area near the Chureito Pagoda (忠霊塔) for anyone visiting during non-busy times.  It can be a bit tricky to get to because you have to drive through narrow streets to access it. If visiting Chureito Pagoda during the busy cherry blossom season, parking is located on the large dirt play area of the Shimoyoshida Elementary School.  There are signs all over the area directing drivers to the parking lot.  From there people have to then walk through town to the pagoda.

Narrative

I had previously visited Chureito Pagoda and hiked up the Arakurayama Trail behind it.  I recently decided to visit Chureito again and this time take a longer loop trail hike around the mountain behind the pagoda.  Since it was the busy spring season when I visited I had to park in the large lot in downtown Fujiyoshida.  From there I made the walk through town towards to Arakurayama Sengen Park where the Chureito Pagoda is located at.  Along the way I passed this large cemetery with a view of Mt. Fuji:

The entrance to the Arakurayama Sengen Park is marked with these two red lanterns:

From here begins a staircase hike up towards the Chureito Pagoda that is located on the side of Mt. Arakurayama.  About a quarter a way up the stairs is when I passed under this stunning tori gate:

From the tori gate there is a lookout with a great view of Mt. Fuji:

It is also worth checking out the nearby Arakura Fuji Sengen Shrine as well:

From the shrine the staircase portion of this hike continues steeply up the hillside toward the Chureito Pagoda:

At the top of the staircase there is another great viewpoint of the ubiquitous Mt. Fuji:

The top of the staircase is also where the picturesque Chureito Pagoda is located:

The viewpoint from behind the pagoda is one of the most popular photograph spots in all of Japan for good reason with its classic view of Mt. Fuji:

What most people don’t realize is that behind the pagoda there is a staircase that leads to a network of trails that stretch across Mt. Arakurayama:

Just a short walk up the staircase there are more viewpoints available of Mt. Fuji with seating areas:

The views of Mt. Fuji may not have the pagoda in them, but there are still quite good:

From the viewpoint the trail up Mt. Arakurayama turns into a standard dirt trail that has various markers and a detailed map to help hikers not get lost along the way:

Below is a closer look at the trail map.  The summit of Mt. Arakurayama is located at C-10.  The loop trail I followed around the mountain is labeled in blue and call the C course in Japanese.  The A and B courses are all shorter hikes available on Mt. Arakurayama for those looking for shorter walks:

The trail up Mt. Arakurayama is steep, but in great shape all the way up to the summit:

About halfway to the summit there is a small Shinto shrine located in front of this small hole in the rock:

The C-9 intersection is where there is a crossroad where one trail leads to the summit and the other to the C-course.  I followed the trail up to the summit, but would back track to here later to follow the C-course:

The trail up to the summit wasn’t too steep and was still in great shape:

I also had some views through the trees of the snowcapped Japanese Alps out in the distance:

Using my Peakvisor app I was able to get names of the mountains I could see in the distance:

I next reached the summit of Mt. Arakurayama at 1,180 meters (3,872 feet) in elevation marked with this little sign:

However the summit is not where the viewpoint is located.  Just a short distance down the trail there is a large lookout area with places to sit and take in the views of the surrounding mountains:

Here is the view of Mt. Fuji from the lookout towering over Fujiyoshida just below it:

Here is a closer look at the snowcapped summit of Mt. Fuji:

Here is the view looking towards the Tanzawa Mountains and the Chou Expressway that I took to drive to Fujiyoshida from Tokyo:

Again using my Peakvisor app here are the names of the mountains I could see in the distance:

Besides great views from the summit of Mt. Arakurayama there is also the option to hike deeper into the mountains to Mt. Mitsutoge.  Anyone interested in taking on this hike will need to budget a full day because I estimate it would probably be a 10-12 mile hike.  I plan to do this hike in the future and will update this page when I do:

After spending about 30 minutes on the summit taking in the views, hydrating, and eating a small snack, I then backtracked to the C-9 intersection and began following the C-course trail.  This trail cut horizontally across the mountain.  Since this trail does not see as much traffic as the main route up Mt. Arakurayama, it was not as easy to follow, but it had pink ribbons to help keep hikers on the correct path:

Once I reached the C-7 intersection I made a right to follow the C-course route down the mountain:

This section of the trail was much improved compared to the section I had just hiked:

On this section of the C-course I had a few obscured views of Mt. Fuji through the trees:

On the lower slopes of the mountain I came to a bench at the C-5 and A-5 trail intersections:

The bench had a nice view of Mt. Fuji as well:

Near this area I found a spot that I was able to safely deploy my DJI Mini Pro 3 drone through the trees and was not in a no drone fly zone.  This first photo is of Mt. Arakurayama:

This next picture shows Mt. Fuji and the city of Fujiyoshida below it:

Here is a closer look at the stunning Mt. Fuji:

This next picture is a 360 degree panorama I took using my DJI Mini Pro 3 drone that I recommend clicking the picture to get a better perspective of the view:

After I finished flying my drone, I continued to follow the C-course trail where it next came to the Fujimi Kotoku Park.  The park had a small Shinto shrine surrounded by many cherry blossom trees:

From the park the C-course follows a paved road down the mountain that leads out of the park:

The road passes through a small neighborhood that had some beautiful budding trees:

I next came to the C-3 and A-7 intersection:

Both courses overlap at this point and follow the same paved road through the neighborhood and down towards the expressway:

Along this section of the hike I passed by this small church.  I don’t see many churches in Japan so this out of the way church was interesting to see:

Just a short distance later I walked under the ETC expressway officially taking me off of the slopes of Mt. Arakurayama:

After passing under the ETC expressway, I followed a road that ran parallel to the adjacent highway.  For being a small road it surprisingly had a lot of cars traveling on it.  I figured it was likely people trying to drive to the Akurayama Sengen Park:

Along the route there were a few signs pointing me in the right direction towards Akurayama Sengen Park:

Throughout my walk along the road I had good views of Mt. Fuji, but the clouds that usually come in late in the morning were beginning to form:

As I walked down the road, I could eventually see Akurayama Sengen Park on the hill above me:

Soon enough I found myself back at the start of the Mt. Akurayama Loop Trail:

By the time I got back to the park, the entrance was now a madhouse of people being dropped off by buses and vans or people walking up from the downtown parking area.  I was very glad I decided to begin this hike early in the morning to avoid the crowds.  From the entrance I then proceeded to hike back to the parking lot to conclude my loop trail hike of Mt. Arakurayama.

Conclusion

The Mt. Arakurayama Loop Trail is a nearly 4.5 mile (7.2 km) hike with over 1,600 feet (493 m) of elevation gain.  This hike is doable for children that can handle the steeper portions of the hike.  The trails are mostly in good shape with plenty of signage that makes the course easy to follow.  This trail is highly recommended to anyone looking to combine a visit to Chureito Pagoda with a nice hike up Mt. Arakurayama behind it.