Tokyo's best mountain hikes: Mt Oyama

Not strictly in Tokyo, but not too far off, Mt Oyama is located in Isehara, Kanagawa. Standing at a lofty 1,252 metres, on a clear day its peak affords impressive views across the Sagami Plain, the Boso Peninsula, the skyscrapers of central Tokyo, Mt Fuji, the Tanzawa Ridge, the Hakone Mountains, and Chichibu Tama Kai National Park. Surely, we hear you cry, such riches ought to be rewarded with a place on a list – and indeed they are: Mt Oyama is rightly considered to be one of ‘Kanagawa’s 50 Most Scenic Sites’.

At the peak stands Oyama Afuri Jinja, a shrine constructed by the tenth emperor of Japan, Emperor Sujin. There's also a second lesser-known shrine at an elevation of 700m, Afuri Jinja Shimosha, that boasts holy water said to bring good fortune and longevity to those who drink it. The sakura blossoms are well worth the climb around the beginning of April, and the mountain plays host to the Oyamadera Momiji Festival in November. 


To reach Mt Oyama, take the Odakyu Line to Isehara Station. From there, head to bus terminal four at the north exit of the station and board the Kanagawa Chuo Kotsu I-10 bus to Oyama Cable, the route’s terminus. It's about a three-hour walk to the peak, though there is also a cable car that runs to Afuri Jinja Shimosha Shrine. Open daily, Mondays-Saturdays, 9am-4:30pm; Sundays, 9am-5pm; adults, 450 yen (roundtrip, 850 yen), kids, 230 yen (roundtrip, 430 yen)