The original plan was to:
- Hike to the summit of Mt. Kumotori
- Hike down to the Kamozawa Bus Stop
- Walk to the Tozura Pontoon Bridge
- Take a bus to Okutama Station
- Eat lunch around Okutama Station
- Hike to the Shiomaru Dam via the Hikawa Gorge
- Hike to Hatonosu Station
- Take a train from Hatonosu Station to Kabe Station
- Stay at a budget hotel near Kabe Station
We got up at 5:30 am and began to break down camp. We had a quick onigiri for breakfast and were on our way by 6:30 am. Many hikers were already gone by the time we headed out.
The path to the summit was a bit steep with the trail winding around tree roots and small rock formations. When we reached the summit we were greeted with amazing views of the surrounding area. A friendly hiker pointed out that you could see Mt. Fuji in the distance and was kind enough to take a picture of us.
When descending from Mt. Kumotori there was a fork in the road with two options. You could take the ridge that led directly to Oku-Tama Station or go straight down to the Kamozawa Bus Stop. Our first indication that things were not going to go as planned occurred when we were at the summit of Mt. Kumotori. I finally go cell reception and was able to check Google Maps. To our surprise the road between Tozura Pontoon Bridge and Oku-Tama Station was red and white (indicating that the road was impassable).
Hiking between the summit and the fork was pretty eerie. Fog/mist began to settle in as we made our descent. In the right picture we could literally see the fog/mist rolling in. It was a little unnerving and visibility was poor, but seeing the occasional hiker coming the opposite direction reassured us we were going the right way.
Eventually we reached the fork in the road. While we were making our decision, we met two guys who were on there way up to the summit. We asked them about the road blockage and they mentioned that they were able to drive through with no problem. They offered to give us a ride if the buses weren’t running (only as a last resort though). We exchanged contact information with each other and set off our separate ways. Feeling a little more confident we decided to go down towards the Kamozawa Bus Stop instead of taking the ridge directly to Oku-Tama Station.
We made good time on our descent. The above bridge over a small ravine was a little narrow and with had no handrails was a little nerve-racking. The total descent from the peak took us about 6 hours to complete. The constant downhill kept our spirits up as we could see we were getting closer to the end. Eventually the trail became a paved road and we could finally let our guard down a little (we no longer had to watch where we were stepping). The final descent was through a super quaint part of Tabayama Village.
When we got to the Kamozawa Bus Stop we learned that traffic to and from Oku-Tama Station had been closed off to one-way traffic leaving Oku-Tama Station. In addition bus service to the area had been suspended. We heard later that there was a landslide that had blocked part of the road. We got lunch at Komorebi which was right across the street from the Kamozawa Bus Stop. The area is really beautiful with the river and mountains in the background. The small restaurant had a couple of tables with tatami seating and counter seating with a beautiful river view. The restaurant seemed to be a popular meeting place for locals. We enjoyed some nice meat and vegetable stir fry and tsukemen as we mapped out our next move.
Options:
- Call a taxi
- Hike back up to the fork on the mountain and take the other route to Oku-Tama
- Hitchhike (recommended by the locals)
- Walk to Oku-Tama (estimated time 10 hours)
- Message our new friends
Options 2-4 were pretty much off the table. Amy was super tired at this point. We called the taxi company which was in Tokyo and were given a new number for the regional service. We called this number and it just rang. We later learned that because the area is so rural, there might only be one or two taxis servicing the entire area. A couple of motorcyclists tried to help us out, but had no luck contacting the taxi service. They asked a local shop owner on our behalf and the shop owner recommended hitchhiking. Having exhausted our other options, we decided to message our new friends.
In the meantime we took the short 10 minute walk to Tozura Pontoon Bridge.
Each end of the bridge was on rollers, that would allow the pontoon bridge to adjust based on the water level of the river. The bridge itself was pretty sturdy, there was a little rockiness when we stepped in between the platforms, but in the middle of the platforms there was little movement. We could easily walk across the entire bridge at a constant pace without fear of falling over or losing our balance. The view from the middle of the bridge was quite nice and the cool breeze was a nice contrast to the otherwise humid weather of Tokyo.
About 30 minutes later, our new friends messaged us back. They had just finished the hike and were going back to there car. We told them our situation and they agreed to give us a ride past the detour. We quickly backtracked to the Kamozawa Bus Stop. They picked us up and we were on our way. When we reached the detour, we saw that they were only allowing one way traffic coming in to the area. To go out, we needed to take a pretty long detour. Originally we told them that we were going to Ogouchi Dam which had a bus that would take us to Oku-Tama Station. Due to the detour we were forced to make, it became more efficient to just drop us off at Oku-Tama Station (less backtracking).
During our car ride, we hit it off pretty well with A san and B san. We learned that they had met in college at a school for international studies in Tokyo. They both spoke English very well. Combined with our broken Japanese, we were able to express most of our ideas. We mentioned that we were staying for the night in Ome near Kabe Station. We offered to buy them dinner which they politely declined. They were however open to eating dinner together. We asked them if they were interested in going to an onsen near Kabe Station and it just so happened that B san had been there before. They had a small restaurant as well, so it was the perfect place. Kabe Onsen Ume no Yu Hot Spring was on an upper floor of a multi story mall across the street from Kabe Station. It took up multiple floors and had a good variety of both indoor and outdoor baths. We happily treated our new friends to the onsen which was the perfect way to end a long day of hiking. It allowed us to soak our legs and renew our bodies for the day ahead. We enjoyed a nice meal at the restaurant. With that we thanked them for their help and wished them a safe journey back home.
Our lodging for the night was at the Confesta Inn Kabe. The location was great, it was a short 3 minute walk from Kabe Station. It was also really close to multiple convenience stores, several grocery markets, and a mall. That’s about all this place had going for it. The interior of the room was a bit dated. Thankfully we got a non-smoking room, because the hallway and elevators had a pretty strong smoke odor. While the room smelled okay, there was a lingering smoky odor, likely coming from the hallway. To be blunt, we would not stay here again. The location was great, but the price was a little high, the room had a faint odor, and the smell of the interior made this a no go in the future.
Although things did not go as planned, it was still a great day. We were able to meet two super cool people and climb the tallest mountain in Tokyo. We definitely intend to come back to this area in the future.
More to come…
Budget: (Does not include food/souvenirs)
- Kabe Onsen Ume no Yu Entrance Fee ¥880/person
- Lodging at Confesta Inn Kabe (No Meals) ¥5,700/person/night
- Total: ¥6,580/person