Hikes in Japan: The Okura Ridge Trail (大倉 トレイル)

BASIC INFORMATION

• Name: The Okura Ridge Trail (大倉 トレイル)
• Location: Hadano, Japan
• Distance: 13.4 miles (21.5 km)
• Max Elevation: 5,141 feet (1,567 m)
• Elevation Gain: 5,459 feet (1,664 m)
• Time: 10-12 hours
• Difficulty: Hard
• More Information: 30 Day Hikes Near Tokyo

Google Earth Map of the Hike

Mt. Tanzawa Elevation Map

Directions

The trailhead for the Mt. Tanazawa Trail can be accessed by train from Tokyo. Take the Odawara Express from Shinjuku to Shibusawa Station.  From the Shibusawa station take a short bus ride to Okura Bus Stop (大倉バス停) which is located in Hadano.  Driving to the trailhead is also pretty straightforward, just take the ETC E1A highway west from Tokyo.  Exit at the Hadano-Tanzawa Interchange and take a local road north to the Prefectural Hadano Visitor Center.

Parking

There is plenty of pay parking located around the Hadano Visitor Center area.  I arrived around 4:15 AM and found plenty of parking available in a paylot across the street from the visitor center:

However, when I returned from my hike the lot was completely filled so arrive early to ensure you get a parking spot:

Narrative

For anyone that lives in the western Tokyo area the Tanzawa Mountains dominate the views to the west.  I have hiked all over these mountains and the hike to the ranges namesake mountain, Mt. Tanzawa (丹沢山) may be the best one yet.  This mountain range is accessed by the Okura Ridge Trail that ascends first Mt. Tonodake (塔ノ岳) and follows the ridgeline to Mt. Tanzawa and beyond to other peaks in the range.  Many people stay at a mountain hut on the hike and make this a two day adventure, but I planned to do it all in one day by hiking to Mt. Tanzawa and back to the trailhead at Okura.  This meant I needed to get an early start to this hike if I hoped to get it done before nightfall.  From the pay parking lot I headed up the main road towards the trailhead at about 04:30 in the morning:

It was early in the morning, but the sun had already rose and visibility and weather was great to start my hike.  From the main road I made a right at the below pictured intersection which had various vending machines where hikers can make a few last minute purchases before heading up the trail:

A short distance up the road I passed by a sign designating the entrance into the Tanzawa-Oyama-Quasi National Park.  This is a huge national park that encompasses much of the mountains between Tokyo and Mt. Fuji:

I soon came to a sign that showed that the national park entrance was located less than a kilometer from the Okura Bus Stop.  The sign also showed that Mt. Tonodake was located 6.4 kilometers up the trail:

The road eventually narrowed as it entered into a dense forest:

The paved road eventually transitioned into a standard dirt hiking trail:

A short distance up the trail I came to a clearing where I had a nice view of the Tanzawa Mountains rising ahead of me:

I found the trail well marked through out my hike with distance markers about every kilometer:

Some of the signs to include at trail intersections do not have English.  Make sure you memorize the kanji for Mt. Tounodake (塔ノ岳) to stay on the correct trail:

One of the really nice things about this trail is how there are tables to rest on that are strategically spaced along the route:

About an hour into my hike I came to the first mountain hut where hikers can stay at.  This hut is well below the summit of Mt. Tonodake.  The other mountain huts are all located high up on Tanzawa Mountain summits:

This hut thought not on a mountain summit still has a nice view looking out towards Sagami Bay in the distance:

It would be a while before had any other views since the trail ascended back into the dense forest.  It also meant I had a lot more stair climbing to do as well to gain elevation up to the summit of Mt. Tonodake:

I did reach a flat ridgeline with steep drop offs on each side that gave me a break from the stair climbing:

I next came to a teahouse that sold food, drinks, and gifts.  I took a short break here to drink some water before continuing my ascent up the Okura Ridge Trail:

The short break was needed because after the teahouse I had to ascend up yet more steep staircases:

Along this steep section of the trail is where the first views of Mt. Fuji began to open up:

The view was short lived as I ascended more steep stairs:

At the top of the steep stairs I reached another teahouse just below the summit of Mt. Tonodake:

The teahouse had a great view of Mt. Fuji:

The teahouse also had a great view of the surrounding area:

For example in the distance I could see Oshima Island located in Sagami Bay.  Oshima is formed by an active volcano that last erupted in 1990:

I could see other volcanic islands located in Sagami Bay as well that are known as the Izu Islands:

Looking towards the northeast I could see the sacred pyramid shaped mountain, Mt. Oyama:

You can read about my prior hike up Mt. Oyama at this link.  Passed Mt. Oyama I could see the major city of Yokohama in the distance:

After taking a break to take in the views I began my final ascent to the summit of Mt. Tonodake.  According to the trail sign I only had .6 kilometers more to go to reach the summit:

I eventually reached the final staircase to access the summit:

After all the staircases I had ascended I was quite happy to finally reach the summit of Mt. Tonodake.  The summit is marked by a large wooden pole with the mountain’s name on it and the elevation being 1,491 meters (4,891 feet):

The “To” in Mt. Tonodake means tower in Japanese which means it translates literally to Tower Mountain.  Mt. Tonodake rises like a tower above its neighboring mountains and has no trees on the summit.  This gives the mountain incredible views of the area.  For example its view of Mt. Fuji is tremendous:

Here is a closer look at Mt. Fuji where by early July most of its snowcap had melted off:

Looking further passed Mt. Fuji I could also see the Japanese Southern Alps rising in the distance:

Here is the view looking towards Mt. Oyama:

Way out in the distance I could see Enoshima Island:

Here is the view looking towards Tokyo where I could see below me the summits of my prior hikes up Mt. Takatori, Mt. Bukkha, and Mt. Minamiyama:

Here is a closer look at Mt. Bukkha (left) and Mt. Takatori (right):

I could also just make out seeing Lake Miyagase which is a place I have visited many times with my family:

Here is a final panorama photo of the view towards the north:

Besides having maybe the best view in the Kanagawa area, Mt. Tonodake is also a junction for a number of trails that extend through the Tanzawa Mountains:

There are multiple routes that can be taken to reach this awesome summit that range from single or multi-day hiking trips:

The next stop on my hike on the Okura Ridge Trail was to Mt. Tanzawa.  According to the trail marker on Mt. Tanodake I had to hike 2.6 more kilometers to reach it:

From the summit of Mt. Tonodake I lost signifcant elevaton as the trail to Mt. Tanzawa descended down a steep staircase:

At the end of the staircase the trail transitions back to a dirt path that follows the ups and downs of the ridge that leads to Mt. Tanzawa:

On some of the steeper ridgeline peaks there are some sturdy staircases to help hikers get across it:

Along the way I had some occasional nice views of Mt. Fuji:

I also saw on this section of the Okura Ridge Trail the below pictured white flowers.  If anyone knows what they are called please leave a comment:

I had 1.5 kilometers to go to reach Mt. Tanzawa, but I found the mid-section of the connecting ridge to be the most beautiful part of the hike:

By this section of the hike I had unobstructed views of Mt. Fuji and down below me I could see the famed Yushin Valley:

The Yushin Valley is known for being a secret valley due to its difficulty to access.  However, for those that hiked their way into the Yushin Valley they are rewarded with views of its beautiful aqua blue water.  Something I was surprised to see in the isolated Yushin Valley was a house.  My guess is that it is a mountain hut for hikers that venture into that remote valley:

The Yushin Valley is definitely on my agenda for a future hike, but for now I was enjoying the view from the Okura Ridge looking down on this beautiful valley:

As I continued along the ridge line I could see Mt. Tanzawa looming ahead of me:

Just below the final staircase ascent to the summit of Mt. Tanzawa there is a large picnic area where I took a break at:

At the picnic area I used my PeakVisor app to identify the various mountains that I could see looking towards Mt. Fuji:

The app also pointed out the summit of Mt. Tanzawa just above me:

I next took out my DJI Mini Pro 3 drone to get some aerial photos of the area.  Pictured below is the Yushin Valley and on the bottom right of the photograph is the picnic area I am sitting at flying my drone:

Here is a closer look at the Yushin valley from my drone:

Here is a closer look at Mt. Fuji as it began to be covered in its almost daily cloud cover:

This next photo of Mt. Tonodake really demonstrates why its called “Tower Mountain”:

Here is another view of Mt. Tanodake:

Below is a view of Mt. Tanodake with my drone flying above Mt. Tanzawa.  The Okura Ridge Trail that I would hike back across to Mt. Tanodake was easily visible.  On the bottom left of the below picture the picnic area I was flying my drone from is also visible:

Below is the view in the opposite direction towards Mt. Tanzawa.  The remainder of the Okura Ridge Trail I needed to ascend from the picnic area to reach the summit of Mt. Tanzawa is easily visible:

Below is another view of Mt. Tanzawa.  Though Mt. Tanzawa is higher than Mt. Tonodake it is not a visually striking mountain.  It makes me wonder why the whole range was named after it?:

Mt. Tanzawa besides not being visually appealing, is not even the highest peak in the range.  That honor lies with the adjacent Mt. Hirugatake which rises to an elevation of 1,673 metres (5,489 ft) compared to Mt. Tanzawa’s elevation of 1,567 meters (5,141 feet):

Below is one last drone photo I took which is a panorma of the Tanzawa Mountains:

After landing my drone and packing it up, I then made the final ascent up to the summit of Mt. Tanzawa.  By this time it was late morning and the July weather was very hot.  The humidity wasn’t too bad, but the sun felt relentless since the ascent up Mt. Tanzawa had little shade.  Reaching the summit of Mt. Tanzawa was a bit anticlimatic though because there was really no views to take in  because the summit is relatively flat and covered in trees:

The summit of Mt. Tanzawa is marked by a simple wooden marker showing I was at an elevation of 1,567 meters. (5,141 feet):

There was also a small concrete marker as well:

If you feel the need to pray to Buddha, there is a small Buddhist statue that is backdropped by a great view of Mt. Fuji:

Mt. Tanzawa also has another mountain hut to stay at or get food from as well.  I only saw three other hikers on the summit the day I hiked up it which leads me to believe this hut must not be very busy:

The summit of Mt. Tanzawa does have a really nice restroom facility though.  So if you need to go, this is the place to do your business at before hitting the trail again:

Here is a panorama of the summit of Mt. Tanzawa:

Like Mt. Tanodake, the summit of Mt. Tanzawa is also a major trail intersection.  There is a nice map on the summit displaying all the various trails that extend from the mountain.  Unfortunately the map is all in Japanese so once again write down beforehand the kanji for the various peaks to be able to read it:

For those looking to extend the hike to Mt. Hirugatake, it is a 3.3 kilometer hike from Mt. Tanzawa.  Hirugatake is the highest peak in the Tanzawa Mountains with an elevation of 1,673 metres (5,489 ft).  I considered hiking to Mt. Hirugatake, but it would have meant a good portion of my return hike would have been at night.  Plus I was pretty beat down by the relentless heat due to the ridge between Mt. Tonodake and Mt. Tanzawa having little shade.  I decided I would hike to Mt. Hirugatake on another day using another trail.  I also saw that the trail from Lake Miyagase was a 10.8 kilometer hike to Mt. Tanzawa.  This is a trail I want to attempt in the future as well:

Looking down the trail towards Mt. Hirugatake I could see another mountain hut there as well:

After spending a 15 minute break on Mt. Tanzawa I then proceeded to retrace by steps on the Okura Ridge Trail back to Mt. Tanodake:

The walk across this ridgeline was even harder now since it was so hot out.  I just kept pushing forward towards Mt. Tanodake:

When I reached the steep staircase to ascend back up to Mt. Tanodake I was actually relieved because the tree cover around the stairs got me out of the sun for a while:

When I reached the summit of Mt. Tanodake again it was about 12PM and I now found it packed with hikers:

Unfortunately for everyone on the summit the views of Mt. Fuji had now been clouded in.  It is imperative to hike up Mt. Tanodake early in the morning to maximize the chance of seeing Mt. Fuji:

Here is a final panorama picture I took from the summit before starting my descent:

While descending I decided to grab some lunch at the teahouse just below Mt. Tanodake.  The ramen I ordered was excellent.  It was so good I ordered a second bowl.  I also loved the atmosphere in the teahouse with so many excited and happy people on the mountain that day:

I spent about 45 minutes at the teahouse eating and hydrating myself for the hike back down teh mountain.  As I started descending again I was actually surprised to see a hang glider flying just over the mountain peaks:

Hopefully the hang glider descended safely because not too long after spotting him a bunch of clouds began to roll in over the Tanzawa Mountains:

I was happy to see the clouds because it cooled the temperature significantly.  As I continued to hike down the trail I could hear a commotion ahead of me.  I soon came to an area where a rescue was going on.  Some how someone had fallen off the trail and rolled down the embankment.  The rescuers were actively doing CPR on the hiker and it appeared this persone was likely going to die considering how far rescue was.  With professional search and rescue personnel on the scene there wasn’t anything for me to do to help so I continued to descend.

As I continued my descent I passed by a number of additonal rescue personnel all hiking up the trail to reach the site carrying various gear like ropes and a stretcher.  It was at least a 2-3 hour hike to reach the rescue location which was why I was doubtful the person in distress made it out alive.  The descent down the Okura Ridge Trail was a long one because I couldn’t really jog down because of the amount of hikers coming up the trail.  After about 10.5 hours after beginning my hike at 04:30 in the morning I found myself back at the trailhead looking up at the Tanzawa Mountains around 3:00 PM in the afternoon:

After returning to trailhead I made sure to stop and visit the Hadano Visitor Center before returning the home.  Inside there was a museum about the Tanzawa Mountains as well vending machines.  The visitor center is definitely worth checking out at the end of a hike.

Conclusion

Overall I found the Okura Ridge Trail to be one of the best hikes I have done in Japan.  The views from Mt. Tonodake, which include Mt. Fuji, are some of the best in the region.  There are also plenty of teahouses and huts along the way if people need to stop and recharge before continuing on a hike. The hike I took to Mt. Tanzawa has more mileage and elevation gain than most people can handle.  A day hike to Mt. Tonodake is probably a much better option for most hikers.  However even that hike comes in at a respectable 3,799 feet of elevation gain and just over 10 miles of roundtrip.  Bottom line is that this hike has big rewards, but you need to be in shape and work hard to attain them which is my kind of hike.