Mount Jimba and Mount Takao

A classic route in the Takao region. The route starts at the foot of Mount Jimba, then follows the ridge line with a few peaks and passes, offering beautiful views of the Tokyo metropolis to the east and Mount Fuji to the south-west. The route ends at Mount Takao, after which there is a wide choice of routes back down to the station, including a funicular.

Details

n°890775

Creation:
01 Dec 2017

Last update:
08 Dec 2017

Last review:
01 Jul 2023

Activity: Walking
Distance: 17.38 km
Average duration: 7h 35
Difficulty: Moderate
Back to start: No
Ascent: + 921 m
Descent: - 1,061 m
Highest point: 850 m
Lowest point: 194 m

Country: Japan
Start: N 35.663666° / E 139.18967°
End: N 35.631762° / E 139.269832°
Hour-by-hour weather

Avalanche risk assessment bulletin

Discover Visorando Premium

Downloads

Open in the mobile app

Download GPX GPX

Download PDF PDF

Photos

Description of the walk

Note: Japanese characters are not available on Visorando. The names that hikers need to recognise on site are grouped together in an image (see photos). The relevant terms are indicated by in the text.

(S) From the “Jimba-kogen-shita” bus terminus , take the main road leading uphill. After about 100 metres, there is a fork: continue along the main road (to the right) marked No. 521 “Jinba Kaido”. Continue along the tarmac road, which climbs steadily for about 1.5 km. You will reach the start of a road on the left which is closed to traffic (including pedestrians).

(1) Immediately afterwards, take the path on the left (signposted) which follows the left bank of the stream for about 250m. Then follow the ridge between two streams. It’s quite a steep climb, but not difficult; the roots of the trees (sugi) form natural steps. As you approach the summit at the first fork, leave the ridge and head off to the right flank (signposted “Top Mt Jinba”).

(2) After 100m, at another fork, take the wider path on the left (used to supply the summit eateries via mini-tractor from Wada Pass). Pass two large bends, one to the right and then one to the left.

(3) Then turn right onto the path leading to the summit of Mt Jimba (famous, very phallic statue; beautiful view of Mt Fuji, several mountain huts). Retrace your steps.

(3) Follow the ridge line towards Myoo Pass and Mt Kagenobu , which heads south initially and quickly turns east, then generally south-east.

(4) On reaching the pass (Narako Pass ), avoid the path descending southwards (towards Sagamiko Station) and continue along the ridge, heading east then east-northeast.

(5) At the next pass (Sokozawa Pass ), continue along the ridge to the north-east and reach Mount Dodokoro.
N.B. There is nothing up there, so you can easily bypass it by following the side route marked ‘traverse’.

(6) Continue along the ridge, generally heading east then south-east. Reach Mount Kagenobu (do not bypass): several snack bars, toilets, and another lovely view of Mount Fuji and the Tokyo metropolis.

(7) Leave the summit heading towards Mount Takao (generally south) to Kobotoke Pass , then south-southeast to Mount Kobotoke-Shiroyama, generally following the ridge line, with a few “traverses” offering side paths to avoid some of the ascents and descents typical of these fractal Japanese ridges. At the summit, as with the previous ones: views, snack bars, toilets, then continue towards Takao.

(8) Three routes are available, converging after about 700m: the central ridge, which starts with steps, and the quieter northern and southern side paths. Where they meet, you are at the foot (50m elevation gain) of Mount Takao . Choose the more scenic Route 6, which is well signposted. Instead of climbing, take the circular trail no. 5 to the right until you reach the junction with no. 6, which descends into a gully. An ‘interesting’ section after heavy rain as it runs through the bed of a small torrent, but without any particular difficulty. Then follow the stream along its bank as it grows in volume and force, passing through a forest with some very beautiful old trees. You’ll arrive at Biwa Waterfall (a very pretty natural site, naturally inhabited by the Kamis – deities). Hence the temple, statues, etc.

(9) Take the path that follows the stream until you reach the tarmac road, which quickly leads to Takaosan-Guchi station (E).

Waypoints

S : km 0 - alt. 339 m - Bus terminus: Jimba-kogen-shita
1 : km 1.41 - alt. 464 m - Start of the trail
2 : km 2.76 - alt. 788 m - Crossroads
3 : km 3.07 - alt. 844 m - Access to Mount Jimba
4 : km 4.79 - alt. 725 m - Narako Pass
5 : km 5.72 - alt. 712 m - Sokozawa Pass
6 : km 6.62 - alt. 731 m - Mount Dodokoro
7 : km 9.14 - alt. 724 m - Mount Kagenobu
8 : km 12.66 - alt. 482 m - Turn-off towards Takao
9 : km 15.85 - alt. 343 m - Biwa Waterfall
E : km 17.38 - alt. 194 m - Takaosan-guchi Station

Notes

The bus to Jimba-kogen-shita takes about 35 minutes from Takao Station (North Exit) on the JR Chuo Line or Keio Line. Please note the timetables and connections: buses are infrequent.

Tourist route with several places to buy food and drink, and toilets.

At Takaosan-guchi Station, you can enjoy a dip in an onsen (hot spring).

Pick up the 1:50,000 scale map No. 27 "Takao-Jinba" from a bookshop

Worth a visit

The temples of Mount Takao, particularly dedicated to the Tengu, minor deities of the Japanese pantheon, notably associated with the ascetic practices of the yamabushi, or mountain warriors.

Reviews and comments

4.9 / 5

Based on 4 reviews

Reliability of the description
5 / 5

Ease of following the route
5 / 5

Route interest
4.8 / 5

Claude L2.

01 Jul 2023 at 20:54 7200

Good luck with Mount Fuji!

Machine-translated

Kura

01 Jul 2023 at 11:06 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great hike; the route was very easy to follow thanks to the app.
It took us about 6½ hours including breaks, taking the chairlift down
Very few people on the trail (though it was raining on the climb up Mount Jimba).
Apart from Takao-san, all the refreshment points were closed today (even though it was Saturday!). Make sure you bring plenty of water (it was hot!) and some food for the walk.
The path is very well signposted and maintained. A bit wild on the first section, completely developed on the second (perhaps a bit too much?).
We did this hike to prepare for Mt Fuji in two weeks’ time.... To be continued...

Machine-translated

Pierre 2

07 Jan 2020 at 08:59 3600

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 03, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A superb walk. I set off early, arriving in Takao at 6.35 am to catch the first bus to the Mount Jinba stop. The climb through the forest was quite steep, but pleasant in the cool morning air. There were fewer than fifteen of us at the top of Mount Jinba, where I arrived at 8.40 am. Mount Fuji looked magnificent!
The rest of the walk was superb, certainly more pleasant going from Mount Jinba to Mount Takao than the other way round.
There were lots of people at the top of Mount Kagenobu (I arrived at 10.30 am and set off again at 11 am after a bowl of soba with a view of Mount Fuji) and at the top of Mount Shiroyama, where people stop to picnic and admire Fuji. But on the paths, it was very peaceful, with glimpses of Mount Fuji through the trees from time to time.
You can tell you’re getting close to Mount Takao because there are suddenly more people. Arriving at the summit at 12.40 pm, the summit platform of Mount Takao was packed with people during these final days of the New Year holidays. I descended Mount Takao via Trail No. 7, Inariyama, by far the most beautiful and sunniest route. I arrived at Takaosanguchi station at 2 pm.
A lovely walk!

Machine-translated

Jluc 91

02 Jan 2020 at 18:51 3600

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 09, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Departure from Shinjuku Station, platform 12, at 6.48 am (orange train); the train’s timetable is clearly displayed on the platform, so there’s no chance of getting it wrong. Change at Takao Station (arrival 7.31 am, departure 7.43 am from the opposite platform – a 12-minute walk covering just 10 metres!) Arrival at Fujino Station at 7.56 am. ¥990 one way. Don’t count on getting any sleep on the train, as people are commuting to work on weekdays, and I stood the whole way to Takao Station. It seemed simpler to stay on the JR lines than to take the bus, and it also meant a full ascent of Mount Jimba.
Exit Fujino Station at the start of the climb; a 30-minute walk at a normal pace. To the left of the road, you’ll find a red arrow on top of a sign pointing to the start on the right. I took the path marked as a 1 hour 40 minute walk; it was very pleasant and well signposted (red posts). Very few people on the trail up to Mount Jimba.
Once at the summit, everything was closed; it was cloudy so there was no view of Mount Fuji, but the panorama was magnificent. A short break and off we went again towards Mount Takao. Via Mount Kagenobu (still no view of Mount Fuji 🥺🥺). The red route marked on the map was enough to guide me. No particular difficulties, fairly easy going. Still very few people on the route; it started to get busier as I approached Mount Takao.
At Mount Takao, I descended via Trail No. 6, which was very cool and ‘natural’. It was busy, so I had to let people pass or wait a moment to overtake.

Weather during the hike: 3 to 10 degrees; it was a bit foggy when I arrived early in the day at Mount Jimba. Cool but ideal temperature.

Hike duration:
Fujino Station – start of hike: 30 mins (30 mins planned)
Start of hike – Mount Jimba: 1h10 for 1h40 planned. Steady climb. No particular difficulties.
Mount Jimba – Mount Takao: I did this in trail running mode as the terrain was very runnable. So I alternated between short runs and walking depending on the gradient: 2 hours 25 minutes (estimated 5 hours 20 minutes). There are plenty of steps as you approach Mount Takao.
Descent from Mt Takao via Trail No. 6: 40 mins (estimated 1 hr 20 mins). (Light jogging downhill; be careful as it’s damp and slippery).

The return journey is from Takaosanguchi Station, a direct semi-express train to Shinjuku Station for ¥390 and a 55-minute journey time. As it’s the end of the line, seats are guaranteed.

Even though I didn’t see Mount Fuji, it was a very pleasant hike, a green alternative to the bustling city of Tokyo.
You’ll need to bring water and a snack as everything was closed before Mount Takao.
The Japanese (as there are very few foreigners) are very friendly, and the greetings exchanged as you meet people are always met with replies and smiles. The information provided by Claude is clear and precise. A big thank you to him for this discovery.👍👍
I have a map of Mount Jimba, but I can’t attach it; I’d like to send it as it also shows the route up via the bus. (Basic route) Can anyone get in touch with me?
Enjoy the hike!!!!

Machine-translated

jacques.nys

06 Oct 2018 at 15:10 7200 • Edited: 06 Oct 2018 at 15:14 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 16, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A lovely forest walk with views of Mount Fuji, weather permitting: we couldn’t see it in the morning due to fog on Mount Jinba, but the views were better in the afternoon on Mount Takao on 16 September 2018. Beautiful views of the Tokyo metropolitan area from Mount Kagenobu.
Luckily, Claude explained that this hike is very popular... we did it on a Sunday because the weather was more or less favourable, and as a result there were quite a few people on the trail. Perhaps best done during the week if you’re looking for fewer crowds.
As seasoned hikers in the French and Italian Alps, we found this hike rather difficult: was it the heat and humidity, or simply the after-effects of jet lag just a few days after our arrival???
And there’s no doubt about it, the hundreds of steps at the end of the walk around Mount Takao really wore us out!!!
It’s a shame, though, as with many hikes in the Japanese hills, that the scenery only reveals itself occasionally, far too rarely for our liking: vegetation to the left, vegetation to the right of the path, interesting because it’s different from our European landscapes but not enough open space or distant views.
Thanks to Claude for everything, including the offline explanations on how to find the bus timetable for the route to the starting point: in short, search for ‘jinba kogen shita bus schedule’ or ‘timetable’ on Google and you’ll eventually find it… though you still need to understand the information on some sites that are exclusively in Japanese. Here is the site I finally found: https://en.culmina.jp/kanto/tokyo/jinbas... Don’t hesitate to ask the staff on site any questions (their English may be a bit rusty, but they won’t mind at all as the Japanese are so helpful and courteous!!!) ... Bus route no. 32 (Takao Station, North Exit, bus bay no. 1), which we were due to take, bore no sign of the famous no. 32, contrary to everything previously indicated online... the driver had simply forgotten to ‘adjust’ the display showing his bus’s destination ;-)
Fortunately, train timetables and how to use them are much easier to get to grips with thanks to the ‘Hyperdia’ mobile app.

Machine-translated