Mt Kumotori (雲取山)

Mt Kumotori (雲取山, Kumotori-yama) is a 100 Famous Mountain and Tokyo’s highest mountain at an elevation of 2017m. Due to its course length of 20km, it’s most commonly done as an 2-day hike with a stay at the summit. But for those who are up for the challenge, it’s also possible to do as a day hike, which is what I did in June of 2023.

Although the trail is long, the trail is a relatively smooth incline with 1700m of elevation gain. There is a slightly steeper stretch closer to the summit. For those looking to practice longer trails and/or spending the night at the summit, I would say that this is a great beginner-friendly option for that.

Mt Kumotori has decent public transport access, with buses running from Okutama station to near the trailhead. In my case, I set out from home just before 5am, and was able to start my hike from Tozura (留浦) bus stop around 8:15am.

From Tozura, it’s a 2.8km, 50 minute walk to the actual trailhead (where the carpark is). I hiked in June, which is when the rainy season begins in Tokyo, so I was a bit worried about the weather. But luckily the forecast for this day was rain only in the early morning, so by the time I began my hike there were clear blue skies.

Just before 9am I arrived at the Kosode trailhead (小袖登山口) where you begin the actual hike.

The carpark at the trailhead was quite empty, and I wonder if the reason was due to the weather forecast, or the fact that it was a weekday. I was alone for most of the trail, except near the summit where I passed some people descending.

There is a total 1700m elevation gain over this course, but considering that it’s spread out over 20km it didn’t feel too steep overall. It’s also quite walkable, with long stretches of “smooth” path rather than any tricky sections with lots of tree roots or rocks to trip you up on.

This course also takes you past Mt Nanatsuishi (七ツ石山, Nanatsuishi-yama) which has an elevation of elevation 1757m.

From Mt Nanatsuishi you get your first glimpse of the peak of Mt Kumotori in the distance.

As I look back at the progress I’ve made, I can see a large peak in the front, which I would guess is Mt Nanatsuishi.

Once you begin the final approach, you can see a large building which is the mountain hut at the summit of Mt Kumotori.

Once you reach the summit, there’s a couple of different peak markers, since Mt Kumotori is famous for three different things:

1. It’s the highest mountain in Tokyo prefecture.
2. Also it’s one of the Hundred Famous Mountains of Japan.
3. And finally, it’s a Hundred Famous Mountain of Yamanashi.

From here it’s back down the same way I came. Before I started this hike I was pretty concerned about whether I could reach my time deadline (to make sure I got on a bus before it got dark) but I was ahead of schedule by this point, and feeling pretty good.

In the end I finished my hike just after 3pm. Including the walk from the trailhead to the bus stop, I walked a total of 24km in just under 7 hours.

Hiking course options

Public transport access with itinerary

Access to Mt Kumotori is first via a train on the JR Chuo line to Okutama station. I recommend using Google Maps or a train app of some sort, as you will have to make at least one transfer to get on the JR Ome line, probably from Tachikawa station.

Once you exit the train station, the bus is directly across the road - you won’t miss it.

From here you can get on the 奥11 bus to Tozura (留浦). From Tozura it’s a 50 minute walk to the trailhead. Alternatively, you can get the 奥09 or 奥10 buses to Kamosawa (鴨沢), which is a bit closer to the trailhead. The reason I went for Tozura is that although there are busses running to Kamosawa, it didn’t really work with my timing.

The earliest I could get to Okutama station from Tokyo was 7:17am, and the buses to Kamosawa were leaving at 7am or 8:45am. So although getting the bus to Tozura would have me walking a longer distance, I would get to the trailhead quicker than if I got the 8:45 Kamosawa bus.

Also when I climbed this on a weekday, there was only one other person that got off at the same bus stop as me, so don’t worry if you are the only one! There are many other mountains and trailheads in the Okutama region, so you may start off with other hikers on the bus as well before they get off at various points along the way.

If you really wanted to do this as a day hike but were a bit worried about the timings, one option would be to sleep the night before at Okutama station or somewhere near by, and then get the earliest bus to Kamosawa from Okutama station (which leaves at 5:34 on weekdays or 06:05 on weekends).

Please note the schedule I followed is not doable if you follow the official course time. I wouldn’t recommend doing this as a day hike unless you are confident in being able to do this course quickly. If you weren’t sure but wanted to give it a go, I would recommend keeping an eye on the time and turning back if you don’t think you’ll be able to make it off the trail before it gets dark. As you pass Mt Nanatsuishi on the way, you could consider this as a good turning back point.

I have put the 17:57 bus in the return timetable schedule above since I don’t think you should be hiking after dark, but note there later buses - the last possible one is at 19:19. Note that finishing by 6pm may be reasonable in summer, but it gets completely dark by 5pm in wintertime.

For the latest on bus schedules, I would recommend Googling “奥多摩駅 ~ 留浦” (I.e. “Okutama station ~ Tozura”) which should bring up the NAVITIME timetable (always accurate) and also the timetable for all buses leaving from Okutama station.

Car access details

Staying overnight at the summit mountain hut

There is one mountain hut available at the summit of Mt Kumotori. It’s called Kumotori Sanso (雲取山荘) and is open year-round.

If you’re staying in the hut, they have reservation details on this page. You can call them in Japanese, but luckily it seems they also accept reservations via email. You can also camp in your tent, which does not require a prior reservation.

When to hike Mt Kumotori

If you’re looking to hike Mt Kumotori without snow, you can hike between April and December. Looking at YAMAP, it seems like May is the most popular month to climb, as you can see the fresh green vegetation sprouting after the winter (known as shinryoku or “new green”). If you’re looking to climb in summer, the elevation at the peak is around 2000m which is reasonable, but probably still quite hot so I would be careful to bring lots of water. There is a fair bit of tree cover on the trail which should help keep you cool.

As snowfall can vary year on year, I would recommend checking YAMAP to see the conditions before you climb.

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Comments

Luke Hadley

25 November 2024

This is so informative. I'll be hiking this next week and wanna do an almost identical route to you. From what station in Tokyo do I get on and what line? Then where do I get off from to get the bus to Tozura? Thank you so much! Luke

Emma Goto

27 November 2024

Hey Luke! You'll be able to get a train from Tokyo station on the JR Chuo line, and go all the way to Okutama station. It's not a direct train, so you'll need to make one or two transfers to get onto the JR Ome line, but the train platforms shouldn't be too far from each other. I recommend using Google Maps to get the exact schedule since it varies. Once you get off at Okutama, the bus stop is right across the road from the station.

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