A view from the top of Oyama, in Isehara, Japan
It was a fine, fall Saturday – partly sunny skies, pleasant temperatures, and lingering fall colors. It was a great day for a hike, so I decided to head back to Oyama – literally Big Mountain in Japanese- a holy mountain in central Kanagawa prefecture. I visited once last year without my good camera and only went as high as the lower shrine near the top of the cable car. And with thick cloud cover around the summit, I wasn’t able to climb all the way to the top. This time, however, I wouldn’t be turned back until I reached the small shrine on the mountaintop.
The road leading up the valley to the Oyama Cable Car.
The closest station to Oyama is Isehara, a small station on the Odakyu Odawara line. From the station, it is a long bus ride winding up the mountainside through beautiful scenery and past small shops, inns, and old buildings. I actually got off the bus a few stops early to enjoy walking through the mountain scenery toward the cable car station. If you do take the bus to its final stop, you will still have a bit of a hike through a market of local goods, cafes, and restaurants. If you aren’t interested in taking the easy way and want to climb the whole mountain, bottom to top and back again, you can hike past the cable car station and up to the top. If you have access to a car, there are several other hiking trails to the top from other points around the mountain base. If you do take the cable car, the view is beautiful, the trip is quick, and the cars leave frequently. The only downside is that, on a beautiful Saturday or Sunday afternoon, it does get crowded.
The top of the steps from the Afuri Shrine at the top of the mountain. The original shrine dates to before written records, so the mountain has been a sacred place to the Japanese for a very long time.
Even if you do take the cable car, you will need to do some hiking to reach the very top. The cable car stops at two other stations on the mountain. The first stop is at a large Buddhist temple, Ryujindo, before continuing to the Afuri Jinja, where you will find a couple of small cafes and restaurants, which are a great place to stop for lunch on your way to the top. I usually do when I visit. When you are ready for the long climb, go up the steps into the shrine proper, past the main hall, and to the steep stairs that lead further up the mountainside. The climb is difficult, the trail often going over rocks and washed out ditches. After about 90 minutes, you will see the small Torii Gate that marks the entrance to the small mountaintop shrine. There is a small restaurant on the top, in an old shrine building, and a toilet. There are also several wooden benches, tables, and platforms where hikers can rest, eat a packed lunch, and enjoy a breathtaking view. And the view from the top is breathtaking. Not only can you see all of Kanagawa Prefecture, but all of Tokyo, Shizuoka, and even Chiba. After a bit of a rest, it is time to hike back down. Keep in mind, if you want to take the cable car from the Afuri Jinja, the last car leaves at 5pm, 4:30pm on weekdays. If you miss the car, you’ll have to hike all the way to the bottom, which can take hours and unless it is summer, can leave you hiking after dark.
A section of the trail between the Afuri Shrine and the summit of the mountain. The climb is not for the faint of heart.
Oyama has been a sacred mountain to the local people for thousands of years, and has been home to shrines and temples for a longer than existing written records. Today, it is mostly popular with hikers and tourists, but the ancient roots of that history still exist throughout the mountains and hiking trails. So, I’ll have to return to this place someday and hike the other trails. This article, however, is meant as an overview of an interesting place that not many people outside of this area know about. So if you are ever in the greater Tokyo area, want a good hiking challenge, but don’t want to go all the way to Mt. Fuji, Oyama is a good place to check out.
