Mount Oyama

by kenji SAITO on July 28, 2015

Determined to get one more hike in before leaving Japan, I found a suitable trail in the town of Isehara in Kanagawa prefecture. Mari kept her mother company and the mountain kept me company today. I slapped on my slippers and caught the two hour sardine packed subway train from Shinjuku to Isehara and then hopped on the Oyama Cable Car bus that left stop #4. Cultural tip: One enters Japanese buses from the back and exits from the front.

Trailhead

Trailhead

I got off at the last stop and walked up a road, passed a couple stream waterfalls and found an unoccupied kiosk that had maps in my language. English not pidgin.

Koma-sando approach

Koma-sando approach

A real hike always starts with stairs. Stairs with words of encouragement.

Shops closed

Shops closed

I was able to walk the souvenir shop corridor unmolested as they were still shuttered. The shop owners are reputedly very aggressive in hawking their stuff. Pays to start early.

Warm up

Warm up

Half way there. Sweating bullets already. Hot and humid. Glad I had my Pocari Sweat with me ( Japanese Gatorade ).

Shrine with a view

Shrine with a view

Stopped briefly to enjoy the small waterfall tucked away in the forest.

Only the beginning

Only the beginning

Completed all 362 steps. Where do I get my stamp? Cable car to the right. Sorry, closed today for repairs.

How much are the fees?

How much are the fees?

How appropriate. A fitness school at the base of the mountain. Sign me up.

Yagokoro Omoikane Shrine

Yagokoro Omoikane Shrine

Shrine dedicated to the Shinto god of wisdom and intelligence. Hope some of it soaks into my noggin.

Onna-zaka Trail

Onna-zaka Trail

The women’s trail starts on the left and is a more gradual approach that also boasted of “seven wonders.” Most of the “wonders” that I saw were power lines, light poles, fences and construction activities. Modern wonders.

Kosodate-jizou

Kosodate-jizou

#2 Wonder – Child Care Bodhisattva. Legend has it that one day, his face grew child like, so if you pray to him, your children will grow up decent looking. Too late for me.

Tsumekiri-jizou

Tsumekiri-jizou

#3 Wonder – Nail Cutting Bodhisattva. Legend has it that he never cut his nails, but all of a sudden his nails were cut by themselves. Moral of the story is if you apply and work hard, results will happen. I missed the rest of the wonders. Guess I need to apply myself more to the trails.

Panoramic view

Panoramic view

Click here for the larger image of Mae Fudo and Kurikara Doa shrines.

More stairs

More stairs

Koko Crater has nothing on this trail. Stairs after stairs. Endless.

Oyama-deru

Oyama-dera

Watch out for swooping hawks. This temple was founded in 755 AD, by a priest that was carried off by a huge hawk and eventually reunited with his parents.

Wash your hands

Wash your hands

Soap not included.

Gong the bell

Gong the bell

Wake up everybody!

Cable car tracks

Cable car tracks

Looking down at the empty tracks that parallels the trail going up.

Markers

Markers

Stone slabs honoring fallen warrior monks.

Stairs

Stairs

Marble stairs with chromed railings. Where am I? Disneyland?

Afuri Jinja Shimosha

Afuri Jinja Shimosha

Click here for the larger image. The lower level was occupied by restaurants, one of the employees couldn’t believe I was hiking to the summit in slippers. Got to represent Hawaii.

Oyama Afuri Shrine

Oyama Afuri Shrine

Click here for the larger image. The upper level was occupied by the shrine, statue of the 12 Chinese zodiacs and views of the city below. The holy and spiritual mountain seemed stripped and sterilized by the marbled facade perched here. Out of place. All about the yen.

Five alarm fire

Five alarm fire

Stacks of old wooden buckets that were once used to fight fires.

Stairs

Stairs

The steep stairs that goes to the last shrine on the summit.

Trail

Trail

Back to nature. Left the steps and stairs behind.

Married couple

Married couple

A pair of sugi pine trees that are supposed to be 500-600 years old.

Trail

Trail

I walked the Oyama trail as it meandered up the mountain side, lost in her silence.

Tengu rock

Tengu rock

Legend has it that a tengu, legendary bird like creature, made a hole in this rock with its beak.

Rest spot

Rest spot

Time to replace my sweat with Pocari sweat. Humidity was ridiculously high.

Rocky Trail

Rocky Trail

I got to test my “climbing slippers” on the assorted boulders and rocks that lined the trail.

Summit Torii

Summit Torii

The end is near.

Afuri Shrine

Afuri Shrine

Afuri refers to the high amount of clouds and rain this mountain receives. Lived up to its name, without the rain.

Summit

Summit

The socked in summit of Mount Oyama at 4,108′ elevation.

Scenic view

Scenic view

Click here for the larger image of a scattered view from the summit.

Kanpai

Kanpai

Got beer? Or was that sake?

Otoko zaka trail

Otoko zaka trail

The men’s trail is steeper and shorter than the women’s trail.

Going down

Going down

Passing the restaurants on my way down, the same shocked employee who saw me in slippers, clapped for me, seemingly surprised that I made it back down.

All pau

All pau

This area is known for spinning tops and tofu. I went with the non-perishable item.

GPS Tracks

GPS Tracks

The short and hot hike covered 4.45 miles up and down the mountain, that consisted more of stairs than trails.

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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }

Ryan September 20, 2015 at 7:51 am

how come none of our hikes have concrete stairs? what have you been taking me on??

Reply

kenji SAITO September 20, 2015 at 9:30 am

Aloha Ryan,
Haha, you don’t want easy hikes! You want Kulepeamoa Windward!
Mahalo

Reply

Genesaret September 21, 2015 at 9:05 pm

Waaat? Fitness on top of the mountain? ????????????

Reply

kenji SAITO September 21, 2015 at 11:09 pm

Howzit Gen,
Yes, yoga poses are optional.
Mahalo

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