Today’s title is a bit misleading as I wasn’t actually able to partake of the best view of Mt. Fuji from the east. But I did get to imagine it while standing in the correct location.

Let me back up a bit and explain. There are some great views of Mt. Fuji from Shizuoka and Yamanashi. Unfortunately, getting there from the Tokyo area can take hours and cost thousands of yen. The best views of Mt. Fuji from Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, and even most parts of Shizuoka and Yamanashi are usually obstructed, if not by buildings then by wires or most often by a mountain range that only allows for a partial, cap view.

I have found, however, a nearly complete view of Mt. Fuji a mere 90 minutes and 940 yen from Shinjuku (80 minutes and 850 yen from Yokohama). There are also some added bonuses of this location like rice paddies,

mountain-side tea fields,

bamboo,

a river,

the ocean, a lake, and even cows at the top of the mountain!

So where is this place? Mt. Ono or Onoyama (大野山). To get there, follow the signs from Yaga Station (谷峨駅). For best results, check this site first. If the forecast is for 晴れのち曇 (as it frequently is) then you want to be sure to be on the first Express out of Shinjuku in the morning. The view of Mt. Fuji is best in the morning, the earlier the better for photography purposes. The hike from the station to the top of the mountain takes between 1.5 and 2 hours. Don’t stop for pictures on the way up. Hightail it up the mountain and try to get to the views of Mt. Fuji before 9 a.m. You can take pictures of the rice paddies, tea fields, bamboo, river, etc. on your way down.

This is a great hike with the above forecast if you are jet lagged in Tokyo and waking up before 5 a.m. anyway. I chuckle when I go through Shinjuku in the morning and see foreign tourists waiting hours for the stores to open at 10 a.m. Don’t be one of them. If you did Tsukiji to pass your wide-awake, early-morning hours on day one of your trip (or if you simply want to do something in the morning and don’t want to be part of a tourist crowd) then, weather permitting, this could be on your agenda for morning two (Odakyu Line train out of Shinjuku leaves at 5:31 a.m.).

If the forecast is for 曇りのち晴れ then time your arrival at the top to be an hour or so before sunset. Don’t forget to bring a headlamp for the way down. The trail is well marked so there is little worry about getting lost. Follow signs pointing to 大野山 on the way up and to 谷峨駅 on the way down. Here are some examples:

大野山ハイキングコース入口 = Onoyama Hiking Course Entrance

Above is a very poorly reconstructed scene of what it would look like were Mt. Fuji not covered in clouds. My camera was on wide angle and the sun was high overhead. A little zoom, a lower sun, and fewer clouds and this has to be one fantastic scene to behold. The entire left outline of Fuji San is visible and the right side reveals more from here than most Fuji views from the east. The scene in front of Mt. Fuji is also very nice, although the above photo doesn’t do it justice. Onoyama is covered not in trees but in grass. The name 大野山 literally means the mountain with a giant field on top, and that is what you will find. Hence the cows enjoying the view in the most unlikely of places.

I actually did see Mt. Fuji on this day. When I arrived at Shinmatsuda Station, I took the above pic from the station.

Posted on June 14th, 2010 under Japan. Tags: bamboo, directions, guidebooks, guides, hiking, mt. fuji, rice paddy, signs. Comments: 5

The weather forecast for last Friday was outstanding. We woke up to blue skies. The future forecast didn’t look so great, and with rainy season just around the corner, it looked like this may be the last day of blue skies we may see for quite a while. So we grabbed Water Walks in the Suburbs of Tokyo and jumped on the train. Our purpose was to do “Walk 13: Nobidome 野火止.”

Along the way we could see Mt. Fuji from the train. It was that kind of day.

Our destination was Niiza in Saitama. The train station platform had to be the ugliest I have ever seen in Japan, but the direction we took from the station had a nice country feel to it.

Note that if you are following the same guidebook, the old, rustic sign before the first stop light is no longer there. Another stop light has been put in, so you want to follow the Astro Boy sign in the sidewalk before the second stop light.

If you’ve been in Tokyo for too long and need to see a farm (or a few dozen of them) again then this is a good place to visit. Flowers are everywhere in Tokyo and this place appears to be a supplier.

Family grave sites in the middle of farms are a common sight in Japan.

Posted on June 2nd, 2010 under Japan. Tags: mt. fuji, people, water walks in the suburbs of tokyo. Comments: None

I never tire of seeing Mt. Fuji.

Posted on June 1st, 2010 under Japan. Tags: enoshima, mt. fuji. Comments: 2

Do you live in Tokyo, Saitama Ken, or Yamanashi Ken? Do you like moss covered stones? The sound of a downhill stream?

A view of Mt. Fuji?

And need a little exercise (about 700 meters of elevation gain)?

Then Mt. Kuratake is the hike for you. I followed the guidelines in Day Walks Near Tokyo which was surprisingly accurate for once. One error is the view of Mt. Fuji. Weather permitting, you’ll get to see Fuji San from the top of the mountain, not from the ridge.

Regarding the Day Walks Near Tokyo guidebook, if you are coming from Shinjuku and want to save a few hundred yen, each way, take the Keio Line to Takao Station insead of the Chuo Line on JR as suggested.

The hiking course begins at Torisawa Station (鳥沢駅). There are few services nearby. I didn’t see any restaurants or any of the typical tourist shops that can usually be found next to hiking routes this close to Tokyo. There are two konbinis near the Torisawa Station (7-Eleven and Daily Yamazaki). These will be your last chance to get a bento. There are a few vending machines before you hit the real trail. I brought my usual one bottle of water and ran out so you may want more than one.

Above is a picture of Otsuki City down below from the top of Mt. Kuratake. Even though it was a clear day, the sun was so bright many things in the distance got washed out a bit in photos. To increase your odds of a good Fuji scene start your hike early, very early if possible. If you don’t get an early start, consider arriving at the top about a half hour or so before sunset. Don’t forget your headlamp for the way home though. Also, Mt. Fuji is usually easier to see in winter. However, the trails won’t be nearly as green and enjoyable after the leaves fall (in November) and before they return again (in April). I wouldn’t really recommend this hike in the winter unless you know the skies will be clear on top and your main objective is to see Fuji San.

Near the end of your hike you will cross the Katsura River (桂川), pictured above, for the second time. This river is called Sagamigawa (相模川) once it enters Tokyo.

Your journey on foot ends at Yanagawa Station (梁川駅). Again, there are no restaurants or places to get a bite to eat in this area as far as I could tell. Otsuki is spread over a large piece of territory and has a population of only 29,000 and shrinking every day.

I’ll post more details and pictures in the future. In the meantime, here is a map you’ll want to bring with you.

And here is a short video I took of 月屋根沢 (Tsukiyanesawa?), an amazing stream you will walk along on your homestretch. You’ll cross this little river about a dozen times on the trail. I didn’t see a single person from the time I reached the top of Mt. Kuratake until I got on the train, more than two hours later. Crank it up for the sound of the water and wildlife in the area.

Posted on May 19th, 2010 under Japan. Tags: hiking, mt. fuji, video. Comments: None

I couldn’t see Mt. Fuji from the train to Kofu. Nor was it visible from my old apartment. However, as I was leaving Takeda Jinja it made its first appearance of the day, just as a snow shower of cherry blossom petals descended upon me.

Perhaps the best view was from the top of Kofu Castle.

Mt. Fuji usually looks best at sunset. As the sky loses its light the snow covered cone provides a sharper contrast than during the day.

Posted on April 21st, 2010 under Japan. Tags: kofu, mt. fuji. Comments: None