Looking for a relatively easy hike near Tokyo with views of Mount Fuji and Tokyo Bay? Is Mount Takao not challenging enough? How about a longer traverse from Mount Takao to Mount Jinba? Here’s all you need to know about this multi-peak traverse and how to make this easy hike from Tokyo even easier.
What's in this blog post?
I. Hike details
- Mount Jinba elevation: 855 m
- Starting point: 470 m (upper station of Mount Takao chair lift/cable car)
- Distance: 17 km (12 km traverse from Mount Takao to Mount Jinba + 5 km descent from Mount Jinba to the bus stop)
- Duration: ~8 hours hiking + 3 hours for transportation from/to Tokyo Station
- Skill level: Medium (The hike is not difficult but is quite long)
- Highlights: Great accessibility, Mount Fuji and Tokyo Bay views and plenty of places to enjoy local food
II. The highlights of Mount Takao - Mount Jinba hike
1. Easy Accessibility
Mount Takao stands as the nearest mountain to Tokyo, requiring less than 90 minutes to reach its base from central Tokyo. Trains are frequent and affordable, with the return bus from Jinba Kogen Shita running hourly until late, the last one departing at 8:30 PM. Mount Takao – Mount Jinba hike requires minimal preparation and resources, making it an easy hike from Tokyo accessible for all.
Getting to Mount Takao from Tokyo
- Tokyo Station to Takaosanguchi Station: ~ 75 minutes (less than 1000 JPY)
Return from Mount Jinba to Tokyo
- Jinba Kogen Shita Bus Stop to Takao Station: ~40 minutes (~700 JPY)
- Takao Station to Tokyo Station: ~75 minutes (less than 1000 JPY)
2. Scenic Views of Mount Fuji and Tokyo Bay
With luck, hikers can enjoy breathtaking views of Mount Fuji along the trail. The views from Mount Jinba surpass those from Mount Takao, as you are closer to the mountains and higher. Even if luck isn’t on your side, don’t worry —the views of Tokyo Bay, Lake Sagami, and the surrounding mountains are splendid.
3. Delicious local food
In Japan, wherever you travel, you’re likely to discover local cuisine. Mount Takao-Mount Jinba hike is a great example of this unwritten rule. While hiking you will pass by various teahouses serving local food. I particularly enjoyed the mushroom tempura served at Mount Kagenobu. It’s also where we had mushroom udon (you can opt for soba as well), infused with yuzu, a local delicacy.
At Shimizu Tea Shop on the summit of Mount Jinba, we only had a celebratory beer since we had already eaten. However, I’ve heard that their soba noodles with vegetables and mushrooms (Jinba-soba, 陣馬そば), are outstanding.
III. How difficult is the Mount Takao - Mount Jinba travers?
The hike is not difficult at all. There are some ups and downs, but they are never too steep. There are quite a few stairs up to Shiroyama. The main challenge of this hike is its considerable length (~17 km), so it’s better to start early, especially if you are not a fast hiker and want to enjoy the scenery and the food.
The most challenging part is from Mount Takao to Mount Kagenobu. From Mount Kagenobu to Mount Jinba (5.7 km), it is a gentle climbing path. Overall, it is definitely one of the easiest hikes from Tokyo.
IV. Mount Takao - Mount Jinba hike description
Arriving to Mount Takao (599 m)
We caught an early train from Tokyo Station at 7:40 AM, arriving at Takasosanguchi Station by 9:00 AM. It was a sunny Sunday in October, and Takaosangushi Station buzzed with hikers and trail runners. We grabbed some onigiris from the station’s Seven-Eleven, and made our way to the base of Mount Takao, where we boarded the chair lift.
If you are a more ambitious hiker, you can climb Mount Takao from the bottom, which should take about 90 minutes. Opting for the cable car or chair lift, which takes you halfway up the mountain, halves the walking time. To save time, we chose the shortest paved trail, #1, passing through the picturesque Yakuoin temple. The top of Mount Takao was very busy and I was glad we were about to venture away from those crowds.
Hiking Mount Takao, although not challenging enough and too crowded for some, is always an interesting little outdoor adventure
And if you don’t feel like a long hike, after summiting Mount Takao, you can head down by taking a different route. Read more about the Mount Takao hike in here: EASY TRIPS FROM TOKYO FOR NATURE LOVERS – HIKING MOUNT TAKAO
Traverse from Mount Takao (599 m) to Mount Shiroyama (670 m): 2.4 km / 1 hour
We set off at 10:15 AM towards Mount Jinba, which according to a sign, should take us 5 hours. Although the trail involved going up and down until we reached Mount Shiroyama, it was easy and safe as we mostly hiked on wooden stairs. After an hour, we reached Mount Shiroyama, taking a short break to enjoy our onigiris along the way.
There are two tea houses at the mountain’s peak, offering food and drinks as well as plenty of wooden tables and benches. While sipping coffee (served not in a plastic or paper cup, but in a real mug – hallelujah, this rarely happens in Japan), we observed Japanese hikers for about half an hour. I am always impressed by the number of older hikers in Japan, some trekking in groups, others solo.
I hope one day to learn enough Japanese to chat with these experienced solo hikers; they must have fascinating stories. Many hikers cooked their own meals, ranging from cup noodles to sausages and soups. It was a festive atmosphere, with us (and a few elderly-looking Japanese) sipping coffee, not alcohol.
Lively atmosphere on Mount Shiroyama
Traverse from Mount Shiroyama (670 m) to Mount Kagenobu (727 m): 2.4 km / 1 hour
At 11:45 AM we headed to Mount Kagenobu, which took us about one hour. Leaving Mount Shiroyama, the trail descended before ascending again. Leaving some of the crowd behind, we noticed that the closer we got to Mount Jinba, the fewer people we saw. Time probably played a role, as the Japanese tend to hike early. But it is also true that the further you go from Mount Takao, the less crowded the trail become.
Since it was lunchtime, we decided to order shimeko tempura and shimeko udon, local specialties featuring a type of Japanese mushroom. Both were delicious! Despite Mount Fuji being shy and hiding behind the clouds, the views over Tokyo Bay were fantastic. We could clearly see Tokyo’s Skytree in the distance.
Great food and views of Tokyo Bay made up for Mount Fuji being hidden behind the clouds
Hiking from Mount Kagenobu (727 m) to Mount Jinba (855 m): 5.7km/2 hour + 1 hour
This part of the hike was my favourite. The path was almost flat, and we walked through a beautiful forest. We encountered only a few trail-runners, as it’s a fantastic running trail, and enjoyed the serene experience of forest bathing. The practice of forest bathing, known as shinrin-yoku, emerged in Japan during the economic boom in the 1980s, offering a great remedy for burnout and inspiration to reconnect with nature.
We reached the summit of Mount Jinba around 3:30 PM, snapped some photos with a famous horse statue (Jinba translates to “Horse Camp”), and hurried to one of the teahouses to check if we were still in time to order a beer.
the last part of the hike, famous horse statue & sunset celebration
Sipping the beers, surrounded by the mountain atmosphere and the setting sun, was truly enjoyable. Even Fujisan seemed to want to congratulate our hiking efforts and came out to say a quick hello.
Shimizu Tea Shop at the top of Mount Jinba – Google location
Hello Fujisan 🙂
Hiking down from Mount Jinba
At 4:30 PM, we began our descent. You can either descend using the wooden stairs or take a new hiking path. We aimed to catch the bus departing at 5:32 PM and chose the stairs. And indeed, it took us only 15 minutes to reach the asphalt road. We arrived at the bus stop just in time. We were in the middle of nowhere, the darkness only intensified this feeling, but both the bus and a clean restroom were waiting for us. That’s when I thought – Japan is truly incredible!
It took us only 3 hours from the top of Mount Jinba to reach Tokyo Station
V. Detailed hiking times, distance & elevation profile
TOTAL WALKING TIME: 5 hours 40 min / 17.1 km
TOTAL HIKE TIME INCLUDING BREAKS: 7 hours 40 min
- Upper station of chair lift (470 m) > Mt. Takao (599 m): 2 km / 40 min
- Mt. Takao (599 m) > Mt. Shiroyama (670 m): 2.4 km/1 hour + 30 min break at the top
- Mt. Shiroyama (670 m) > Mt. Kagenobu (727 m): 2.4 km/1 hour + 30 min break at the top
- Mt. Kagenobu (727 m) > Mt. Jinba (855 m): 5.7 km/2 hour + 1 hour break at the top
- Mt. Jinba > Jinba Kogen Shita bus stop: 4.6 km / 1 hour
VI. How to make Mount Takao - Mount Jinba hike as easy as possible?
To make the Mount Takao-Mount Jinba hike as easy as possible, follow our approach and start from Mount Takao (not the other way around). Opt for the chair lift or cable car at Mount Takao instead of climbing from the base. While hiking, sometimes you will come across two routes leading in the same direction. Choose the left one, marked “traverse,” i.e., the easier and flatter path, to avoid uphill and downhill slopes. Once you reach Mount Jinba, take a downhill path that leads to the road and walk down the steep road to the bus stop. These are all the secrets to make this easy hike from Tokyo even easier!
Jinba Kogen Shita bus stop Google location
Additionally, if at any point you decide you don’t want to continue further, you can return to Mount Takao or descend before reaching Mount Jinba. There are trails leading to bus stops from Mount Shiroyama and Mount Kagenobu.
And if you are only interested in hiking Mount Jinba and not in the traverse, start your hike from Jinba Kogen Shita Bus Stop. Here is a detailed description of such a hike:
Last but not least, you can read more about some easy hikes from Tokyo in my other article here:
6 EASY DAYS TRIPS FROM TOKYO FOR NATURE LOVERS
It covers not only the most popular choice Mount Takao hike, but also other interesting more off the beaten path options.
They say it's a horse statue, but I'm not so sure about that 😉
I hope you enjoyed this blog post about the Mount Takao – Mount Jinba hike. Hopefully, between visiting Tokyo’s temples, parks and dining out, you will find some time to explore the nature surrounding this megacity.
If you have questions or need more information about this easy hike from Tokyo, don’t hesitate to leave a comment, and I’ll be more than happy to help! And if you found this article helpful, please leave a comment as well – your feedback always brings a smile to my face 🙂
Hi there, thank you for a very detailed description of the trail. Do you think the trail is harder from Mount Jinba towards Mount Takao instead?
Hi Genevieve,
First of all, thank you for reading my blog. To answer your question – it’s a little bit harder as you can take the chair lift or cable car at Mount Takao instead of climbing from the base. If you start from Mount Jinba, you need to climb from the bus stop. Said that, many people start from Mount Jinba. Just start your hike early, as it’s a long one, and you should be fine!
Enjoy your hike!
Beti
Hello Beti! I’m going to try this hike today. I’m curious if it’s too much to do given the hot weather?
Your blog helps me a lot to sift through more information online. Thank you for doing this.
Hi Arlene!
Thank you for your nice comment. I’m very happy you found my blog useful 🙂 As for the hike, it really depends how you cope with hot weather and how fit you are. For some people it might be too much, others will be perfectly fine. Of course this hike is easier in colder months, autumn is a perfect time to try it. On the other hand it’s more pleasant to be in the forest than in the concrete jungle of Tokyo in the summer heat. So it’s really up to you!
Good luck!
Beti