Mt. Oyama (1,252m) is very popular among locals, mainly because of Oyama Afuri Shrine. The shrine’s history is said to date back more than 2,200 years, and it has been a well-known pilgrimage spot since the mid-18th century during the Edo period (1603–1868).
There are multiple trailheads to choose from, and you have plenty of route options depending on your hiking level. The mountain is also open all year round. However, there are no huts or campsites in the area, so overnight hiking is not recommended.
TIMELINE
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 four spaces left when we arrived — but the last one got taken just before my other friend Sonia reached the parking lot at 7:40. They had to look for another spot since all the nearby ones were already full. Eventually, they found a space further away and walked all the way to Oyama Information Center– which was 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 wearing a red bib along the trail. These are child-like statues commonly found throughout Japan in temples, cemeteries, and even along roadsides. Ojizō-sama represents Kṣitigarbha, one of the most beloved Japanese divinities, known as the guardian of children — especially those who pass away before their parents, including the souls of stillborn, miscarried, or aborted fetuses, honored through 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 often made to look more baby-like, symbolizing the children he protects. You will usually see them wearing red bibs, which are connected to Japanese folklore — where red is believed to be a color that expels demons and illness. In Japan, the color red is associated with several deities in both Shinto and Buddhist traditions, and statues of these deities are often dressed 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 off a cliff to ward off misfortune and invite good luck. We didn’t try it because we just continued on the right path. I also didn’t check where the left path leads, so I’m not sure where it goes.
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 finally reached Oyama Afuri-Jinja Shrine. We saw lots of people wearing normal clothes — even a few in skirts and mid-heel shoes — but I’m pretty sure they took the cable car up to Afuri-Jinja Station and skipped the dirt trail. You still have to walk some steps though, so I’m not sure if that’s really the life you want to choose.
But hey, we even saw a guy hiking in Geta footwear on the dirt trail, so some people really do choose to live on the edge. I was wearing proper hiking shoes and I still slipped twice on the stone steps.
The view here was amazing, so even if you don’t go all the way to the summit, I think this is a really good beginner-friendly course. Some people take the cable car up to this point, and then hike to the summit from here — which honestly sounds like a pretty solid plan too.
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 were also a lot of people, so some brought their own sheets to sit on. We didn’t bring one, so we just waited for other people to finish eating.
The toilet had a long line and didn’t smell very good. I ended up changing my top because I was sweating like crazy. I didn’t even sweat this much on our previous hikes, and those were much longer.
12:35 – For our descent 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 ended up getting lost toward the end and got separated from the group because I was looking for the Oyama Cable Car Station (for the stamp) and accidentally went to Oyamadera Station instead (the one in the middle). The rest of the group waited for us at Oyamadera Lodge.
I also forgot to end the hike on the app, so it added about 2.6 km to the total distance — but the distance and time shown below are the correct ones.
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.
The ascent wasn’t too hard, but I struggled more during the descent, especially on the stone steps. I slipped twice and ended up with bruises and a small gash because some of the steps were still wet from the rain a few days earlier. My knees (especially the left one) have been hurting for a few weeks now.
I think after our next hike, I’ll stick to easy hikes for a few months until the next hiking season.
This route was so crowded, but the view was soooo amazing — especially around Afuri Jinja Shrine during the peak of the autumn foliage. I highly recommend it even if you’re not a big hiking fan, since you can always take the cable car up.
This was a really fun hike and not too difficult for me, but it took me the longest to recover from. Four days later, my legs were still sore. It took about a full week before I could finally walk normally again without feeling pain. Even Mt. Fuji didn’t leave me this wrecked.
I would still hike it again though — maybe try the cable car route, or the Otoko-zaka, since we weren’t able to go there this time. Overall, I would recommend this hike to intermediate hikers, or beginners who want to challenge themselves a bit more.
Thank you always for reading until the end!
I really appreciate all the comments and love hearing your feedback.
I organize beginner to intermediate hikes in the Kanto area, and joiners are always welcome — so feel free to send me a message if you’d like to join us!
EAT, SLEEP, HIKE, REPEAT =)
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