Mt. Ougi (扇山) to Mt. Momokura (扇山)

My legs hurt for days after this hike, and probably because about two hours of it is done on the road, as I did not know of the bus access. However, given the limited time frame of the bus, I would still recommend going even it it means hiking on the asphalt.

Budget: JPY2,510 (~USD23)
  • JPY1,170. Train, Nakano Station to Torisawa Station.
  • JPY1,340. Train, Saruhashi Station to Nakano Station.
Hike Date / Difficulty (Elevation: 1,138m / 3,734ft)
  • April 2020
  • Difficulty: 4 out of 5.
  • Route below is around 14.1kilometers, with an elevation change of ▲1,504m/ ▽1,490m
  • PDF Map Link
When to Go
Anytime during the year! But, if you plan to take a bus, take note of the schedule below.
Some of the path includes walking on flowing water, which means on winter, this trail can be icy. Prepare accordingly.

Special Notes
  • You have the option of walking to the trailhead or taking the bus. Bus schedule pdf here. The updated website page is here, just look for "扇山~百蔵山" button. The route is:
    • 09:00am. Torisawa Station (鳥沢駅) to Nashi-no-kidaira Bus Stop (梨ノ木平バス停), 15 minutes, JPY300.
    • 04:10pm. Momokurayama-tozanguchi Bus Stop (百蔵山登山口) to Saruhashi Station (猿橋駅), 6 minutes, JPY280.
  • The bus only comes once at on weekends, on the dates below. Otherwise, do as we did, and take a walk.
    • April 1 to July 31
    • September 1 to December 15
  • But, here's the amount of time you "save":
Itinerary
  • 05:37am. Train, Nakano Station to Torisawa Station. You'll likely have to transfer once. In my case, I transferred at Hachioji Station.
  • 06:58am. Arrival, Torisawa Station. Start hike. The trail was well marked, but here's the google maps pin for the trailhead.
  • 08:10am. Arrived at Nasunokidaira Bus Stop. (梨ノ木平バス停). Wished we took the bus.
  • 09:35am. Arrived at Mt. Ougi (扇山). We took a nice hour long snack sitting on one of the logs overlooking Mt. Fuji, then started the long descent down the ridge, and then ascended again for the Mt. Momokura.
  • 12:40pm. Arrived at Mt. Momokura (百蔵山). Another long break, as there is a table to sit down at, once more, overlooking Mt. Fuji.
  • 03:00pm. Arrived at  Momokurayama-tozanguchi (百蔵山登山口). And we thought the hike was over. But no, there's still quite a long way to go, and a rather steep one at that.
  • 03:30pm. Arrived at Saruhashi Station (猿橋駅). Google maps to the station can be a bit misleading, so take note that once you pass the long bridge and turned right, try to find the first turn to the left and that will direct you to Saruhashi Station. Here's the google map screenshot of the walk from Momokurayama-tozanguchi, and highlighted in red is the path I recommend you take:



The looooong walk up the road. 

Past the trees... and a big ascnet. Sorry I had no pictures of the actual ascent. 

This is the ridge close to the summit. 

Finally, the summit! Plenty of benches to stare at the gorgeous Mt. Fuji. 

We crossed to the other side to Mt. Momokura, and had the pleasure to have sakura blossoms too. 

Here's the marker. 

Going down there was one viewing point. 

At the trailhead, there's a quirky sculpture (?) that I hope is still there. 

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