Hakone Hiking

We are planning a trip to Tokyo and then somewhere where there is good hiking at the beginning of April. Will the Owakudani area and trails be open by then? If not, where is the best location with similar distance to Tokyo?

Will the Owakudani area and trails be open by then?

The area around Owakudani is closed indefinitely, so do not count on them opening up anytime soon.

If not, where is the best location with similar distance to Tokyo?

Mount Takao has some nice trails especially if you hike the ridge beyond the popular shrine and temple area.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3029.html

Hi Dom

As was mentioned, Okakudani itself has been off-limits for a while now. But a good hike in the vicinity, with views across to Owakudani as well as great views of Mt Fuji, is Myoujin-ga-take. You'd need to take an Odakyu Line train to Odawara, then a bus to Saijo-dera Temple. The temple is a lovely place to look round, and the hike begins right there.

It takes 2-3 hours to hike up to the 1169m summit of Myoujin-ga-take, and from there you've got a couple of options for continuation. A nice one is to continue in the direction of nearby Myoujo-ga-take and then descend down to Gora, from where you can take the small-gauge railway down to Hakone-Yumoto for an onsen.

It's a lovely little hike, around 4-5 hours in total. I guided it for a family from the US back in December, and their young kids had a good time too, so it's quite manageable for families as well. Depending on when you're looking to hike, there'll be some snow lying around up there until spring, so make sure to equip yourselves suitably for that if you choose to do it in winter.

If you need any more info, feel free to get in touch with me through my website (http://climbjapan.blogspot.jp/).

Have fun!

Tony