.
Mt. Gongen 権現山 – Mt. Koubou 弘法山
Distance: 8.2 km
Elevation change: 145 metres
Highest point: 235 metres
Start: Hadano Station (Odakyu Odawara Line)
Finish: Tsurumaki-Onsen Station (Odakyu Odawara Line)
Difficulty: ▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅ ❶
Map: Yama to Kogen Chizu 山と高原地図 ［No.29 丹沢 TANZAWA］
GPX TrackKML TrackGSI MAPPDF Topo Map
Family Oriented Hike in the Mount Oyama Foothills
Located in the foothills south of Mount Oyama this family oriented hike is only an hour’s train ride from Shinjuku Station on the Odakyu Odawara Line. The hike is enormously popular year-round, especially during the cherry blossom season when lanterns light up the flowers in the early evening.
From Hadano Station, turn right and walk along the road for about 20 minutes, where the trailhead commences on your right, just a little way up from the 7-Eleven. The 150-metre climb up to Mt. Gongen 権現山 (245 m) isn’t particularly steep and remains on a rolling ridge passing Mt. Koubou 弘法山 (235m) 15 minutes further along. There are plenty of picnic tables and benches to take lunch on, and clear days afford views towards Mt. Fuji and Sagami Bay. For those looking for an alternative route to Mt. Oyama, halfway along finds a 9-kilometre route snaking its way to the summit. After passing Mt. Azuma 吾妻山 the trail heads down to the Kobo-no-Satoyu a 2-minute walk from Tsurumaki-Onsen Station where you can relax in a hot spring (1,000 yen for 2 hours and 200 yen for each additional hour).
Hi David,
Don’t know where to post appropriately, but Kobo is the nearest locale to this new hikeI’ll recommend: Mt. Ono Hiking Course (14 km), Yaga to Yamakita (Gotemba Line), no buses needed. Exit Yaga Station, turn right. After 100 metres, turn right again at the sign for Mt. Ono Hiking Course. From here, well-signposted to the summit (1 hr, 20 mins; toilets and water half way up). From the summit, follow the signs to Yamakita Station (about 7 km, 1.5 hours).
Summary: beginner level hike, think Takao minus the crowds (weekday), plus stunning panoramic views of Fuji, the ocean, and a dairy farm on the summit that’ll have you thinking of Switzerland. To top it off, next to Yamakita Station, is Sakura no Yu — hot baths: 2 hours, 400 yen.
Excellent suggestion Andy! Just had a quick look at the route on Google Maps. Keen to try it and will pencil it in for one of those post typhoon days to savour the views.
Did it yesterday & was too hot (low elevation). Once it cools down a bit, great on a weekday (you won’t forget the view from the summit toward the dairy, I promise). Yamakita Station has a tourist office — area maps available. There’s another hike nearby, Mt. Takamatsu (about 900 metres high) — will post if any good. Further afield, hikes into the Lake Tanzawa interior, but bus to get there.
Would like to try this next Tue. Thanks!
Hello, I am planning to hike alone. Maybe this month. Do you think it’s safe for me? Do you know when’s the best time to visit? If ever, this will be my first time hiking. I’ll appreciate your advice! Thank you, stay safe!
Hi Marj, this hike is perfectly fine to do alone – it’s more of a park trail than a forest one. The best time to visit is at the end of the month or early April when the parks 2,000 Yoshino cherry blossoms are in full bloom 🙂
Hi David,
We did this Jun 24, 2022, and the mosquitoes were awful. We had spray and so they didn’t bite us, but there were dozens, it seemed like a hundred, buzzing around our head and body. With that humming noise and the surrounding swarm, it was miserable. Everyone we say on the trail was swatting them from their faces. I wonder if this is just this area or if it’s this time of year. We have bought face nets and some stickers that are supposed to repel them for this week’s hike in Saitama.Hopefully we won’t have see them -at least to the same degree-there.