In search of a new and relatively short hike near Shinjuku, I settled on hiking a mountain that was named for a real life samurai who lived during the Heian period and whose later life became mythologized into the golden boy of folklore who possessed extraordinary strength and wrestled bears.
Busta Shinjuku
I walked to the bus terminal from my hotel and boarded the 0635 bus that cost roughly $14.57 and was told they were only two passengers, turned out to be a third full of people.
Fuji-san
Catching a clear view of Japan’s highest and active volcano on the two and half hour bus ride.
Kintoki Shrine Entrance
I stepped off the air-conditioned bus and expected to be baking in the unusually hot summer temperatures of 100 plus degrees Fahrenheit that was roasting the urban cities of Japan. Surprisingly the reported temperature was around 85 degree Fahrenheit. Must be the mountain air of Hakone. But the high amount of water vapor in the air increased the heat to severe sweating levels.
Kintoki Shrine Entrance
Tourist trinkets anybody? People got to have memories and make a living. Win win.
Kintoki Shrine
Paying my respects to the shrine dedicated to Sakata no Kintoki who is best remembered as Kintaro. I must have missed Kintaro’s axe that is supposedly nearby. Or did somebody take it for their man cave?
Kintoki Trail
Starting off on the heavily wooded trail.
Kendo 731
I soon had to cross the artery and avoid the left hand traffic that originates from the samurai era when swords were carried on the left side and not from British influence as widely believed.
Kintoki Trail
Japan is ranked highest in the world for bear attacks relative to its bear population of roughly 55,000. Creeping urbanization, food shortages and declining people population all are contributing to a rise in bear attacks that number in the hundreds annually. I started talking loudly to myself and playing my music as bear bells and spray were not to be found on my person.
Kintoki Yadori Ishi
Peering into the giant rock that Kintaro cleaved in half with his axe and it’s where he and his mother took shelter against the elements. Believe it or not.
Kintoki Trail
I soon met other hikers ascending and descending the trail which gave me greater peace of mind as to the whether bears were lurking on the trail.
Kintoki Summit
Clear views of Mount Fuji greeted me at the 3,980′ summit of Mount Ashigara or Kintoki.
Kintoki Summit
It had taken me roughly an hour to ascend to the parasitic cone on the Hakone caldera. I didn’t have a chance to meet the “daughter of Kintoki Mountain,” who is an octogenarian that hikes the trail daily to the teahouse at top to serve soup and refreshments to hikers. My wish is to be active when I reach that age and do something useful with my life.
Otome Trail
Leaving the summit I soon encountered a trail sign in English which means they must get a lot of foreign traffic. I also wanted to make sure that I would make it back down in time to catch my bus back home.
Otome Trail
Descending down the trail that was mostly riddled with rocks and dirt and other hikers ascending and descending which allayed further fears of bear(s) surprising me on the the way down.
Otome Pass
I soon came to a clearing with tables and benches and one of three Fuji view mountain passes.
Otome Trail
No bears were encountered on the trail, just this particular venomous tiger keelback or yamakagashi in the act of wolfing down a toad on the trail. Glad it was the toad and not me as I almost stepped on this particular limbless reptile that would probably have not ended well for me.
Otome Trail
Crossing over a bridge as the sounds of civilization soon intersected with the trail.
Kintoki Trail
I soon left the somewhat obscure and overgrown trail exit and made my way on the strip of a shoulder towards the bus stop.
Kintoki-jinja-Iriguchi
Waiting at the correct bus stop as it took a couple of slow minutes to dawn on me that I needed to cross the street and catch the bus going back in the direction that I had come from. I blame the heat. I grabbed a can of Coke from one of the ubiquitous vending machines to slake my thirst as I waited half an hour for the 1231 bus. Another $14.57 well spent.
Hidakaya
Post hike meal was at a chain that specializes in cheap and tasty ramen. Where else can you get a bowl of shoyu ramen, six pieces of gyoza and a glass of soda for $5? Exactly.
GPS Tracks
My bus rides that totaled roughly five hours took longer than my solo hike that included views of Mount Fuji and thankfully no encounters with bears and just a hungry snake took me three hours to complete.
Note: I have been made aware that some hikers have been using my blog as a hiking guide and getting lost on the trails. Please note that this blog was made to document the hike for the crew(s) that did it. That is why some of my comments will seem to have no relevance or meaning to anybody outside of the crew(s) that hiked that trail. My blog was never meant as a hiking guide, so please do not treat it as such. If you find inspiration and entertainment from these hikes, that is more than enough. If you plan on replicating these hikes, do so in the knowledge that you should do your own research accordingly as trail conditions, access, legalities and so forth are constantly in flux. What was current today is most likely yesterdays news. Please be prepared to accept any risks and responsibilities on your own as you should know your own limitations, experience and abilities before you even set foot on a trail, as even the “simplest” or “easiest” of trails can present potential pitfalls for even the most “experienced” hikers. One should also always let somebody know of your hiking plans in case something doesn’t go as planned, better safe than sorry.
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