Mount Ōyama: The OG Tokyo Trip

Ōyama-san delivers more than sore legs — it’s a mountain with a long memory, and a many-layered history.

Rising 1,252 metres above Isehara City, within the Tanzawa-Ōyama Quasi-National Park, it’s one of the Kantō region’s most important sacred sites. Why, you ask?

According to Shintō mythology, the deity enshrined at Ōyama Afuri Shrine on the mountain is the god of rain and water, and the father of the kami of Mount Fuji. This pilgrimage route was busy, social, and ultra-competitive back in the Edo period. Much of it still survives today, marked by stone steps and old inns climbing steadily uphill.

And now, you can tread that same, well-worn path — minus the oversized sword (unless you want that, in which case you can book it) and intense chafing from straw sandals. Also, you have the handy option of hopping on a speedy cable car.

Ōyama was a travel sensation in its time. Long before solo travel or weekend getaways were a thing, this was one of Japan’s earliest domestic tourist destinations. You could think of it as the Tokyo Disney of its day.

The mountain drew huge numbers of visitors in organized groups, and people pooled money, shared lodgings, and climbed together. Visiting Ōyama became a once-in-a-lifetime rite known as jinsei girei — something you were expected to do.

In other words, there’s a very solid, historically peer-reviewed case for going now. You don’t need a pilgrim group (though a hiking buddy is strongly recommended) — just a free day or two, decent shoes, and a tolerance for stairs.

Getting from Tokyo to Mount Ōyama

For a truly authentic experience, you’re welcome to walk the entire way. Otherwise, the nearest train station to Mount Ōyama is Isehara on the Odakyu Line. It’s just under an hour from Shinjuku Station via the rapid-express. The route costs ¥607 one way.

Another option is to take the fancy Romancecar, also from Shinjuku. This will shave off around 15 minutes and costs more than double (¥1,357), but you’ll get a reserved seat and access to restrooms onboard.

When you arrive at Isehara Station, take the north exit and walk a few minutes to the bus stop. Then, hop on the #10 bus headed for Mount Ōyama, which departs every 30 minutes or so.

Ride for about 30 minutes and get off at the final stop (a lot of passengers will be alighting here, so follow their cue in case you get confused). The bus costs ¥320 one way.

Taking the cable car

The Ōyama Cable Car offers an easy, scenic way to dodge the steepest climb on Mount Ōyama while still tracing the old pilgrimage route.

Getting to the starting point of the cable car takes a bit of (literal) legwork, though.

From the bus stop, you’ll walk up Koma-sandō to reach the lower station, climbing 362 stone steps spread over 27 landings. It sounds intimidating, and yes, your calves will notice, but the route is lined with souvenir shops, tofu restaurants, and long-established inns. So, it’s more of a snack-and-peek-into-shops crawl than a monotonous workout.

Once you reach Ōyama Cable Station, the hard part is over. The cable car does the rest, hauling you up the mountainside to Afuri-jinja Station near Ōyama Afuri Shrine, with a midway stop at the Ōyama-dera temple if you want to hop off and explore before continuing upward.

The full ride takes around 6 minutes, climbing sharply through forested slopes with large windows that look out over the trees and, on clear days, towards Sagami Bay.

Cable cars generally run every 20 minutes or so, starting at around 9 a.m. and finishing at about 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, with later service until 5 p.m. on weekends, holidays, and during busy seasons such as autumn foliage. During special seasonal events, like the red maple leaves of fall, there are illuminations, too.

A one-way ticket costs ¥640, while a round trip is ¥1,270. Many visitors take the cable car up to Afuri-jinja, spend time at the shrine, and then walk down via (somewhat) gentler routes like Onna-zaka. Others get off at Ōyama-dera to visit the historic temple before continuing on foot or reboarding. Do be careful with the times though; this is not an easy mountain by any means.

Tanzawa–Ōyama Freepass

To save a bit of money on transport and attractions in the area, consider getting the Tanzawa–Ōyama Freepass. It can be purchased online.

The pass is valid for two days and covers your round-trip Odakyu train travel from Shinjuku, plus unlimited rides on local Odakyu lines and Kanachu buses in the area.

There are two versions: Ticket A, which includes the Ōyama Cable Car, and Ticket B, which doesn’t (handy if you plan to hike the whole way).

Prices from Shinjuku (two days):

• Adults: ¥2 (Ticket A) / ¥1,560 (Ticket B)
• Children (6–11): ¥920 (Ticket A) / ¥400 (Ticket B)

So, is it actually worth it, even if you only plan on doing a day trip?

We’ve crunched the number and determined that for most people, yes.

Buying tickets separately for a typical day trip — train from Shinjuku, bus to the cable car, and a cable-car round trip — comes to about ¥3,230. With Freepass A, that drops to ¥2,520, saving you around ¥700.

If you take the cable car up and walk down, the saving is smaller but still there, and you also get access to local discounts. If you skip the cable car entirely and hike both ways, Freepass B still knocks about ¥400 off the cost of individual tickets.

On top of the transport savings, the pass also gets you discounts at over 20 spots, including cafés, souvenir shops, and hot springs around Ōyama and Tanzawa. It’s all digital, too, which is handy; just scan the QR code.

Hiking Mount Oyama

It’s not uncommmon to see people hiking Mount Takao in jeans and casual sneakers. With a variety of trails suitable for adventurers of every stripe, there’s a reason Takao is Tokyo’s favorite mountain. If you’re planning to hike Mount Oyama, however, get ready for a serious test of endurance.

From the base of the mountain, the full hike to the summit involves significant elevation gain and long stretches of continuous climbing. It takes 4-5 hours, round trip, for an average walker. The trails are clearly marked and not technical, but they are steep and rather rocky in places.

Even if you use the cable car to skip the lower section, the climb from Ōyama Afuri Shrine to the summit still takes around 90 minutes to 2 hours. There aren’t a lot of flat sections to recover, either.

Still, it’s absolutely doable if you come prepared with trekking poles and proper boots — though you may still find yourself humbled by groups of sprightly octogenarians striding past. Again, check starting and return times very carefully before setting out!

Pro tip: Here’s where you can find hiking gear in Tokyo.

Facilities

• Vending machines: There are a few (expensive!) vending machines to restock on beverages, mainly at the cable-car stations. Vending machines along the actual hiking trail are likely sparse. We recommend purchasing drinks at Isehara Station instead, where you’ll have more options.
• Trash cans: Note that like Mount Takao and various other sites, there are no trash cans available. So, prepare a bag or two for your trash, as you’ll be carting it all down the mountain with you.
• Restrooms: In terms of public toilets, you’ll find them at Oyama Cable Station and in the café atop the mountain. There is no toilet at the final cable car station.
• Charging your phone: Make sure to carry a portable charger compatible with your phone. Otherwise, we had some luck requesting a USB cable at the tourist information center at the base of the mountain. However, availability is not guaranteed. For more options, check out this page that lists places in the area where you can either borrow a mobile battery or use a wall charger (in Japanese).

Top things to do on Mount Ōyama

Give koma a spin at Kanekoya

Pause your puzzle game and put away the evil, tiny screen. It’s time to get an analogue hobby. Here at Kanekoya, it’s all about traditional Japanese tops — and it’s no child’s play.

This shop, located along Koma-sandō, has been making Ōyama koma, hand-carved wooden spinning tops, since the Edo period. Visitors buy them as lucky souvenirs on their way up the mountain.

“There used to be about 30 shokunin,” says Kaneko-san, the eighth-generation owner and koma master craftsman. “Now, I’m the only one left.”

He’s been making koma here for nearly 50 years, starting with locally sourced wood that’s dried for a full year before it’s carved using a lathe. Each top is typically hand-painted in three traditional colours: kon (indigo), murasaki (purple), and aka (red).

“We only use these colors because this is a traditional art,” he explains.

Even the smallest koma — a single palm fits over a dozen — are carefully balanced to spin smoothly, symbolizing good fortune and prosperity. The largest reach about 12 cm across, with beautifully braided and sturdy ropes that, if wound skillfully, sends the top into a glorious spin.

“People made koma, kendama, daruma, lots of things to sell as souvenirs,” Kaneko-san says. “But in the end, only the koma remained.”

With advance booking, it is possible to arrange koma-making workshops. You’ll need to contact the shop directly (in Japanese).

Kanekoya

Address:585 Oyama, Isehara, Kanagawa

Hours:8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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Be blessed at Ōyama Afuri Shrine

At the heart of the mountain is Ōyama Afuri Shrine, and if you’re wondering just how big a deal this place once was, the numbers are kind of wild.

“At their peak, pilgrims to Ōyama represented about one-fifth of Edo’s population,” says Meguro-san, a gonnegi (Shintō priest) whose family has been based at the shrine for around 250 years.

During the Edo period, merchants and townspeople formed religious travel groups known as kō, pooling money to send a representative to Ōyama every summer.

“It was the beginning of leisure (travel) as we know it today,” Meguro-san explains. People came to pray, but also to eat, drink, compete, and generally make a trip of it.

The shrine is dedicated to the rain deity Afuri, which comes from ame-furi or “to make it rain”, who governs water, mountains, and harvests. In Shintō mythology, this kami is the father of the deity of Mount Fuji, which is why Ōyama and Fuji often appear together in ukiyo-e prints. Traditionally, a pilgrimage to one was not complete without a visit to the other (or some attempt at it, anyway).

The group energy had a competitive edge. Edo firemen and townspeople hauled massive wooden swords (osamedachi) up the mountain, each group trying to outdo the next. The swords kept getting bigger, eventually reaching around a comically large 6 meters.

“It became a status symbol,” Meguro-san says. “It was uncool not to have been here.” At the same time, it was surprisingly inclusive: people helped each other pay their way.

The pilgrimage was so popular it reshaped Tokyo itself. The trendy neighborhood of Sangenjaya takes its name from the three teahouses that sprang up along the Ōyama pilgrimage route as foot traffic surged. And if the name Afuri sounds familiar, that’s no coincidence — the AFURI ramen chain borrowed it directly from Mount Afuri.

Ōyama Afuri Shrine

Address:355 Oyama, Isehara, Kanagawa

Hours:9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Admission:Free

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Where and what to eat on Mount Ōyama

Tofu is the de facto meibutsu or representative food of Mount Ōyama.

Pilgrims climbing the mountain needed something refreshing yet filling, and tofu cooled in mountain spring water fit the bill perfectly. In the heat of summer, people would, apparently, walk the approach slurping tofu straight from the bowl — a more characterful approach to keeping cool than those plastic neck fans.

There was once a festival dedicated to tofu here as well — alas, it has since been canceled. While the festivities are no longer held, tofu still abounds.

Tofu specialty restaurants

Along Koma-sandō, one iconic spot for all things tofu is Tofu Dokoro Ogawaya, which traces its roots back to an Edo-period inn. The menu is a meditation on tofu: tofu salad, tofu gratin, tofu-based desserts and more.

For something slightly more casual, Nishi no Chaya is a solid option. It also leans into the Ōyama staples: yuba (tofu skin) dishes, alongside soba and udon noodles. There are also more substantial set meals built around local produce, mountain vegetables, and pickles, plus more tofu.

Nishi no Chaya

Japanese:西の茶屋

Address:614 Oyama, Isehara, Kanagawa

Hours:11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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Mountaintop shrine-café

Perched beside the shrine, Sekison Saryō is as much about the view as what’s on the table. On a clear day, you can see out over Sagami Bay, across to the Bōsō Peninsula, and even as far as Izu Ōshima.

The building blends modern lines with traditional materials: cedar planks stained with antibacterial persimmon tannin, shoji screens, and calm colors. Seating ranges from terrace tables to tatami rooms at the back.

As for what to order, the signature is coffee brewed with the shrine’s sacred spring water. There’s also local beer. The must-try, however, is the Masu Tiramisu, a dessert made with cream cheese and matcha from Chakato, a long-established Isehara tea wholesaler, and served in a wooden box. It is outstanding. None of the other matcha tiramisus we’ve had since have come close.

Teahouse Sekison

Japanese:茶寮 石尊

Address:12 Oyama, Isehara, Kanagawa

Phone:

046-394-3628

Hours:10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mon–Fri; 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sat–Sun

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Top festivals on Mount Ōyama

Mount Ōyama hosts many festivals throughout the year. However, note that not all of them are open to the public, with many centered more on solemn, religious rituals.

• Setsubun: This traditional festival is held across Japan typically on February 3 to banish demons and welcome spring. Mount Ōyama has its own version.
• Tsutsugayu-sai (Pipe Rice Porridge Festival) and Hikime-sai: At Tsutsugayu-sai, priests scoop rice porridge into a bamboo tube and examine the amount and texture to forecast the year’s weather and crop yields. Later the same night comes Hikime-sai, a midnight purification ritual in which rice gruel is drawn up and counted to symbolically purge evil spirits from heaven and earth. The ceremony has been passed down for generations and is performed in near darkness.
• Sake events: Usually around May, there are various sake-tasting festivals. There is also a festival held specifically to pray for brewing safety that’s attended by sake brewers from around the region.
• Oyama Fire Takigi Noh Festival: Held in November, this event features classical Takigi Noh (torch-lit Noh theatre). Alongside the main Noh plays, audiences there’s Kyōgen comic theater and shimai (short ceremonial dances).

Frequently asked questions

What is Mount Ōyama known for?

Mount Ōyama is a storied sacred mountain in Tokyo’s neighboring prefecture, Kanagawa. It is known for its Buddhist temple and mountain-top Shintō shrine, elegant pilgrim lodging, and high-quality tofu made using the region’s mineral-rich mountain spring water.

Is it possible to stay overnight on Mount Ōyama?

Indeed it is. Ōyama was a key site for Shugendō, the mountain ascetic tradition, and pilgrims stayed in shukubō lodgings around the mountain. Many of these still stand today. Top recommendations include Togakubou and Ryokan Asada.

Plans usually include half board (dinner and breakfast). Prices vary but expect to pay from around ¥15,000 per night per person.

While we do our best to ensure it’s correct, information is subject to change.