Mt. Oyama (1,252m) is very popular to locals because of Oyama-Afuri-jinja Shrine. The shrine has a history that’s said to go back more than 2,200 years, and it’s been a popular pilgrimage spot since the mid-18th century during the Edo period (1603–1868)
There are multiple trailheads to choose from and you have a lot of options which route to take depending on your hiking level. It’s also open all year round. There is no hut or campsite in this area so overnight hiking is not a good idea.
NOV 17, 2024 (Sun) – We left Yokosuka around 6:00 and got to this parking lot around 07:15. There is a big toilet near the parking lot and the bus station is also nearby.
Good thing we got there early because there were still 4 spaces when we got there but the last one just got occupied before my other friend Sonia got to the parking lot at 7:40. They had to find another one because the ones that are close by are all taken. Eventually they found a space in this parking lot and walked all the way to Oyama Information Center– our meeting place.
Some of us took the bus from Isehara Station to Oyama Cable Car Bus Stop (Google maps was showing to get off another bus stop and walk but the right bus stop to get off is the last one.)
8:15 – We started walking towards the Koma-sando Approach. Google map pin was wrong so I did not include the pin, but it is just a few steps after you pass by Oyamaafurijinjahoncho Aoki Church on your right, and a bridge on your left.
So if you are starting your hike early, I suggest you bring food especially if you are like us who eats breakfast at the trail.
8:30 – After we pass the Oyama Cable Car station we reached the split trail where we choose to go the Women Trail / Onna-Zaka Trail / 女坂 or Men Trail / Otoko-Zaka Trail 男坂.
You will also see some Ojizo-sama with a red bib along the trail. They are child-like statues you can find throughout temples, cemeteries even roadsides in Japan. Kṣitigarbha is one of the most loved of all Japanese divinities and is known as guardian of children, particularly of children who dies before their parents, the souls of stillborn, miscarried, or aborted fetuses in the ritual of mizuko kuyō.
Kṣitigarbha statues are sometimes accompanied by stack piles of stones and pebbles, put there by people in the hope that it would shorten the time children have to suffer in the underworld.
His statues are commonly made more baby-like to resemble the children he protects. You will mostly see them in red bibs that are connected with Japanese folklore where they believe that red is the color for “expelling demons and illness”. In Japan, color red is associated with a few deities in Shinto and Buddhist traditions, and statues of these deities are often decked in red clothing or painted red.
8:45 – You will see Ryujindo on the left and Oyamadera lodge on your right but it is closed now. It looked like an abandoned haunted temple.
Then you have to climb more concrete stairs to reach Oyamadera (Temple). I really like the stairs leading up to the temple.
After you reach the top, you’ll see Oyamadera (Temple), apparently you can take part in a custom known as “kawarake nage” here, throwing small ceramic plates from a cliff to ward off misfortune and invite good luck. We did not do it because we just went to the right path. I didn’t go check where the left path so I don’t know where it leads to.
9:25 – Reached the area where there are food stalls, cafes and a store.
I bought my souvenir Tanzawa T-shirt and towel here. They have lots of nice designs here I want to get them all.
9:40 – Until we reached Oyama Afuri-Jinja (Shrine). We saw lots of people wearing normal clothes, even a few wearing skirt and mid-heel shoes, but I think they were taking the cable car up to Afuri-Jinja Station and skipped all the dirt trail. You will still walk some steps though, so I don’t know if you want to choose that life. But we did see a guy in Geta footwear in the dirt trail, so some people do really choose to live on the edge. I was wearing hiking shoes and even I slipped twice on the stone steps part.
The view here was amazing so even if you don’t go all the way up to summit, I think this is a very good beginner course. Or some will take the cable car up to here, and then hike to the summit.
The statue next to this shrine was erected on August 15, 1985, 40 years after the end of the war, to commemorate peace and freedom from a life of evacuation due to defeat in the war. The stone tablet also has the meaning of requiting the souls of the students who died in the evacuation area.
We bought the booklet (¥500) for the Tanzawa Mountain stamp rally here. You can also get your Goshuin here (I’m not sure but I think it was about ¥500? also. They were selling Omamori too.
9:55– After we bought the booklet we followed everyone to the entrance of the upper shrine. We paid ¥100, took the stick with white cloth and waved it left and right then got a white paper. I lost mine so I forgot what was written on it.
11:35 – We finally reached the summit of Mt. Oyama. Time for lunch!
Sonia, Mike and their cute but very camera shy pup Indica
There are lots of benches and tables where you can eat but there was also lots of people so I guess some people just brought their own sheets so they can sit. We didn’t bring one so we just waited for the other people to finish eating.
The toilet has a long line and it doesn’t smell good. I changed my top because I was sweating like crazy. I didn’t even sweat that much during our previous hikes and we had longer ones.
12:35 – For our descend we chose to go down via Miharashidai.
I suggest you use Yamap for offline maps and planning your routes. It takes getting used to but after using a few times you’ll get the hang of it. HERE is the route that we took and I uploaded some pictures too. Some people were doing reverse and honestly there are lots of different routes that you can do here.
Two of us got lost towards the end and was separated from the group because I was looking for the Oyama Cable Car station (for the stamp) and ended up going to the Oyamadera Station(the one in the middle) but the rest waited for us at the Oyamadera Lodge.
I forgot to end the hike on the app so it added about 2.6 km to it but below is the right distance and time.
Hike Log:
Mt. Oyama (1,252 masl)
Nov 17, 2024
(Kanagawa Prefecture)
Ascend : 3.2 km
8:15 – 9:40 (From Trailhead to Oyama Afuri-Shrine)
9:55 – 11:35 (Oyama Afuri-Shrine to the Summit)
11:35 – 12:35 Lunch and toilet break (line was super long)
Descend : 5.2 km
12:35 – 15:15 (From Summit back to trailhead via Miharashidai)
Backpack Weight : 5kg
Water : 1.5L (Hydration Reservoir – I used Platypus Big Zip EVO + 500ml petbottle of electrolytes.
Difficulty : Ascend wasn’t too hard, but I had a harder time during the descend at the stone steps part. I slipped twice and got bruises and gash because some stone steps were still wet from the rain a few days ago. My knees (especially the left one) has been hurting for a few weeks now. I think after our next hike I will only go to easy hikes for a few months until the next hiking season.
This route was so crowded but the view was sooooo amazing! Especially at the Afuri Jinja Shrine during the peak of Autumn foliage. I highly recommend even if you are not an avid fan of hiking because you can take the cable car.
This was a really fun and not too hard of a hike for me but took me the looooongest to recover. 4 days later, I still felt sore on my legs. It took me about a week to finally go back to my normal self and not be in pain when I walk. Even Mt. Fuji didn’t give me this much pain.
I would still hike it again though. Maybe try the cable car route, or the Otoko-zaka because we weren’t able to go there. All in all, I would recommend this hike to an intermediate hiker or a beginner but wants to do a more challenging hike.
Thank you always for reading till the end!
I appreciate all the comments and love hearing feedbacks.
I organize beginner/intermediate hikes in Kanto area and joiners are always welcome so feel free to send me a message if you want to join us.
EAT, SLEEP, HIKE, REPEAT =)
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