Takaosan Propping Up the Olympic Rings Like the cloak of mist which shrouded Mt. Takao for the unveiling of the Olympic rings back in April to mark 100 days before the opening of the Tokyo Olympics, the weather last Sunday was much the same. An omen...
Hiked on May 22, 2021 . Tenguiwa 天狗岩 – Mt. Matateyama 馬立山 – Mt. Gozenyama 御前山 Duration: 5 hours Distance: 9.9 km Elevation change: 550 metres Highest point: 970 metres Start: Kasei Station (Fujikyuko Line) Finish: Saruhashi Station (Chuo...
Tama Lake – Sayama Lake – Noyamakita-Rokudoyama Park For those looking for a nearby cycling path try the Tamako Cycling Road. Duration: 2 hours Distance: 22.7 km Elevation change: 95 metres Highest point: 195 metres Difficulty: ...
Hiked on May 4, 2021 Mar 26, 2022 . Takahatayama 高畑山 – Amamezasu Toge 天目指峠 – Nenogongen 子の権現 Duration: 6 hours Distance: 13.6 km Elevation change: 561 metres Highest point: 851 metres Start: Shomaru Station (Seibu Chichibu Line) ...
Efforts Rewarded at this Seldom Visited Waterfall In November last year I failed in my attempt to reach the Meoto Falls due to a dodgy trail and fear of being picked off by some local hunters. Hence a revenge mission was high on the agenda. Of the...
Hiked on Apr 19, 2021 Feb 16, 2022 . Chinseiga-ike 鎮西ヶ池 – Hinoki-daira 桧平 Duration: 7 hours Distance: 16.4 km Elevation change: 1020 metres Highest point: 1620 metres Start: Sasago Station (Chuo Main Line) Finish: Hatsukari Station...
Hiked on Apr 9, 2021 . Futamata 二俣 – Nabewari Sanso 鍋割山荘 – Kinhiyashi 金冷シ Duration: 7 hours Distance: 17.1 km Elevation change: 1096 metres Highest point: 1386 metres Start: Okura Bus Stop Finish: Okura Bus Stop Difficulty: ...
Hiked on Apr 2, 2021 Mar 26, 2022 . Osawa Noto 大沢ノ頭 – Mt. Sashiyama 差山 – Mt. Myoken 妙見山 Duration: 2 days Distance: 15.2 km Elevation change: 1233 metres Highest point: 1713 metres Start: Kubodaira Bus Stop Finish: Tsutsumigawa Onsen...
Mountains You Can Climb in a Day from Tokyo Unless otherwise stated, all prices are for one-way travel using local trains and bus services. For residents and tourists alike spending too much time in Tokyo can well make you go bonkers after a while...
Hiked on Mar 23, 2021 . Tenjin-toge 天神峠 – Mt. Mineyama 峯山 – Mt. Musubiyama むすび山 Duration: 4.5 hours Distance: 8.8 km Elevation change: 516 metres Highest point: 976 metres Start: Hatsukari Station (Chuo Main Line) Finish: Otsuki Station...
A Beginner’s Guide to Climbing Some of Japan’s Most Iconic Mountains Hiking guidebooks targeted at foreign audiences in Japan are such rare beasts that new releases are much anticipated. This time it’s Lonely Planet’s turn to return to the fold...
Enjoy Hiking More Safely In July 2022, COCOHELI and jRO merged, with jRO becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of COCOHELI. In addition to COCOHELI’s membership-based helicopter search service, jRO’s search and rescue service was integrated. If you...
MAPPLE Special Online Maps Campaign for 2021 The map images and contents of this article have been obtained with the permission of the publisher (株式会社昭文社 Shobunsha Publications, Inc.). Come February or March each year Shobunsha Publications a.k.a...
GSI Topo Maps: A Beginner’s Guide In this previous article I described in some detail the finer points of reading “Yama to Kogen Chizu” topographic maps, this time we turn our attention to the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) and...
Japan’s Second COVID State of Emergency: A Piece of Advice TL;DR State of emergency declared in Tokyo and neighbouring prefectures of Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa (the state of emergency was expanded to 11 prefectures on January 13). The...
Hiked on Jan 1, 2021 . “Hatsuhinode” Capturing the First Sunrise from Mt. Jinba A rite of passage for any hiker worth their salt is to witness a hatsuhinode or first sunrise of the New Year from a mountaintop and yesterday was my turn. The dilemma...