Best Hike Near Tokyo with Mount Fuji Views: Okutama’s Honnitayama to Mount Kawanori
- Alex
- Apr 20
- 6 min read
A Proper Sunday Start
Saturday night I slept a little bit later than usual, but I was still up pretty early on Sunday morning. I think I was out of bed before 5:30!
It was one of those quiet mornings where nothing was urgent. No pressure from work, no rush to be anywhere. I answered a few emails, threw a couple Japanese sweet potatos into the air fryer and headed down to the gym. Got in there from 6 till 7, got it done and cruised home. Won the morning.
Came back home, made some breakfast, and by that point Sebastian was up. We got everything together and were out the door by about 7:30, already feeling like the day had started well.
Getting Out to Okutama
Getting out to Okutama takes about two hours on the train, maybe an hour and 50 minutes if you catch the right one, especially the "special" rapid services.
It sounds like a bit of a mission, but like I’ve said in other hiking posts, living in Koenji on the Chuo line makes it really easy. You might switch trains, but you don’t need to change lines, which makes a massive difference. You can just settle in, sit down, and leave the city behind.
As the train moves further out, you can feel the shift. Tall city buildings thin out and before you know it, you’re surrounded by mountains instead of concrete. We left at 7:30 and rolled into Okutama Station around 9:15. Straight away, the air felt cooler and cleaner, and there’s that quiet that you don’t really get in the city.
This was a hike I’d been really looking forward to. I love Mount Fuji, I love hiking, and I especially love hikes where you earn a view of Fuji. I was also hoping to get a swim in after, cool off properly, and then finish the day with a delicious Japanese set meal somewhere near the end of the trail.
Everything was lining up for a very good day.
A Hard, Fast Climb and Proper Mountain Energy
The hike starts straight away. There’s no easing into it, no gentle warm-up section.
When I say hard and fast ascent, I’m not joking. In about two hours or so, we climbed more than 900 metres of elevation all in one go! It just keeps going up, and it’s steep the whole way.
You feel it early. Quads, hammies, glutes, everything working. It’s the kind of climb where you settle into a rhythm pretty quickly because you don’t really have a choice.
But that’s also what makes it SO good! It feels earned.
As we climbed, the nature around us kept changing. The trees, the density of the forest, the way the light comes through, even the smell of the air. You notice it more when you’re moving steadily uphill like that.
One thing I really love at this time of year are these light purple flowers you see dotted around the mountains. I’d seen the exact same ones during the Hiroshima 50K trail race the weekend before, and seeing them again here just stood out. These beautiful trees with soft purple flowers scattered across the mountain, breaking up all the green. Stunning!
Sebastian and I were just in our usual rhythm the whole way up. Climbing, talking, thinking. We always end up breaking down the week on these hikes. Talking about business, what we’re doing well, what we want to build next, how we can improve and optimise things.
It’s one of my favourite parts of these days. You get clarity without even trying.
By the time we got up to Honnitayama at 11:30, it felt like we’d already had a full day.
Mount Fuji, a Locked-In Meal, and a Technical Ridgeline
And then you get the view!
Mount Fuji sitting out in the distance. At first it’s slightly blocked by a few tree branches, but if you move around and stand on the right rock, it opens up and you get a clean look at it.
It’s always worth it. No matter how many times you see it.
We sat down there for a bit and had our locked-in meal. Sweet potato, cauliflower, shiitake, protein shake. Nothing fancy, nothing complicated, just exactly what we needed after that climb. Eat, sit, take it in for a minute, and then get moving again.
From there, the trail between Honnitayama and Mount Kawanori changes completely.
It becomes very technical. You’re not just walking anymore, you’re using your hands, your feet, scrambling your way along what feels like the saddle of the mountain. There are sections where you’re pulling yourself up and placing your feet carefully, making sure you’re stable.
It’s not dangerous if you’re switched on, but it definitely demands your attention.
We both really enjoyed that section. It was probably the most fun part of the whole hike. It pulls you right into the moment because you actually have to focus on what you’re doing.
We got to Mount Kawanori, didn’t hang around too long. Took a few photos, enjoyed being up there for a minute, and then got moving again.
At that point, the plan was clear. Descend, snack on a couple of yokans and dried strawberries, hopefully get a swim in the Tama River. Then, finish the day properly with a Japanese teishoku set.
The Descent, No Swim, and Slowing It Down
The descent was really nice.
Coming down from around 1.2 to 1.3 kilometres in elevation back down to basically sea level, everything changes again. The air gets warmer, the forest shifts, the whole feel of the environment softens.
This is the part where you don’t need to push anymore. You just walk, take it in, and enjoy being out there.
I just love it. Being outdoors, being active, being surrounded by trees, the smell of the earth, the cool air moving through the forest. It gives me a lot of energy, especially after a big week.
We ended up doing about 15 kilometres in maybe five or six hours, which felt like the perfect amount. Enough to feel like you’ve done something solid, but not completely wiped out. And it wasn't too late in the day either!
We were still keen on the swim, but timing just didn’t really work. By the time we thought about it, we only had about an hour and twenty before the train.
And realistically, that would’ve meant ten minutes scrambling down to the river, ten minutes swimming, ten minutes scrambling back up, and then trying to rush a meal before jumping on the train.
It just didn’t make sense.
So we decided to slow it down instead. Sit in the sun, relax, and actually enjoy the end of the hike properly rather than forcing it.
Second Lunch Done Properly
And that ended up being the right call.
We sat down for a proper traditional Japanese teishoku set, and it was unreal.
The whole set was really well put together. Seasonal vegetables on rice, and then this really simple but delicious soup that honestly reminded me of something my mum used to cook. Light, but full of flavour. Chicken, enoki mushrooms, shiitake, cabbage, carrot.
There was tempura as well, some pickled cabbage, konjac, and everything just felt balanced and satisfying after a long hike. We had fish as an additional side each, I think it was aji, and I absolutely cleaned it. Picked it perfectly clean, to the point where I was just holding up the spine and all the bones at the end.
And then the matcha pudding at the end. That was one of the standouts for sure. Nothing about the meal was over the top, but everything about it worked perfectly!
Back to Tokyo and One of My Favourite Days So Far
After that, we jumped back on the train and made the two-hour trip home.
Got back around 6 or 6:30, chilled out for a bit and ended up doing a couple of hours of work from 7 to 9 before heading to bed.
Honestly, one of the best days I’ve had in Tokyo.
Probably my favourite hike so far that’s close to Tokyo, especially with a view of Mount Fuji. You get the climb, the technical sections, the nature, the view, and a proper finish to the day.
Couldn’t really ask for much more!
The only thing missing was the swim, but that’s fine. There’s going to be plenty of that this summer.
And I’ll definitely be back out there again soon!
Thanks for reading!
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