The best hikes in Japan: mountains for every month and season

8 June 2025

Japan has so many beautiful mountains on offer, but if you asked me what was the best hike in Japan, my answer would vary depending on when you wanted to hike. In summer you can climb Mt Fuji and the highest mountains in the Japanese Alps, with gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains. In autumn and spring, the cooler weather makes for more pleasant hikes, with opportunities to view the fall foliage or cherry blossoms. And even winter comes with some hidden gems, as it’s often the best time to get a clear view of Mt Fuji from a distance.

I’m based in Tokyo, and the following recommendations are all mountains I have personally climbed - so it’s naturally a bit biased towards the mountains that have been easier to access for me. There’s still so many mountains in Japan that I want to climb though, so I’m sure this list will change over time. I’ve also done my best to try and provide a range of mountains to suit every difficulty level, so I hope that you’ll be able to find the hike that’s best for you.

If you want to jump to a specific month:

Best hikes in January

You’ve probably eaten too much over the Christmas and New Year’s break, so what better way to start off the year than with a hike! When I first moved to Japan, I was a little worried about whether I would be able to do any hiking due to the snow, but lower-elevation mountains are still pretty accessible, and in January you should be able to climb mountains with an elevation of up to 1000m without any snow.

View of Mt Takao

Mt Takao

Mt Takao is Tokyo’s local mountain, which you can easily access via a 1-hour train ride on the Keio line from Shinjuku station to Takaosanguchi station. I do think it’s a great beginner-friendly option if you aren’t too sure of your hiking abilities - Mt Takao was actually my first ever hike in Japan! Thanks to its low elevation you shouldn’t have any problems climbing it in winter too. There is a cable car to make your hike easier, a temple along the way, and from the summit you can buy a hot meal to warm you up, with a view of Mt Fuji if you are lucky.

View of Kaimondake

Kaimondake

Kaimondake sits right at the bottom of Kyushu, and its conical shape makes it look like a mini Mt Fuji. Uniquely, rather than a hike straight up the mountain, the course takes you on a spiral path around it, so you get to enjoy the views out from all sides (including views of the sea as well!) With only an elevation of 924m, it’s climbable year round without snow, so it’s perfect if you’re looking for something a bit different to climb in the colder months.

If you come between the end of December and mid-February, you’ll also be able to see the blooming of the yellow rapeseed blossoms, which are said to be the earliest blooming flower in Japan.

View of Mt Kintoki

Mt Kintoki

Mt Kintoki is a mountain in Kanagawa prefecture with rather beautiful views of Mt Fuji, complete with a big axe at the summit you can take a photo with. As well as a 3-hour hiking course, there’s also the option to keep hiking past Mt Kintoki to the neighbouring Mt Myojingatake (明神ヶ岳) for a total 6.5hr, 11.5km course, which is great if you’re looking for a longer trail in the winter months.

It’s accessible via a direct highway bus from Shinjuku to the Kintoki shrine trailhead (金時神社入口).

Best hikes in February

February is the coldest month in Japan, so you’ll be looking to stay as low-elevation as possible to avoid the snow. Of course, snow hiking is another option too which opens up a whole new world of mountains, but I personally don’t have any experience in it so I’ll stick to recommending snow-free hikes in this post.

View of Mt Miura-Fuji

Mt Miura-Fuji

February comes with the chance to enjoy the early-blooming variety of cherry blossom known as the Kawazu-zakura. These are a more vivid shade of pink than regular cherry blossoms (and arguably prettier too). You can combine a hike to Mt Miura-Fuji in Kanagawa with a visit to the Miura Kaigan Cherry Blossom Festival, which is held each year in mid-February to mid-March.

The course starts from the Mt Miura-Fuji trailhead at Keikyu-Nagasawa Station (京急長沢駅). From there, you’ll hike up to Mt Miura-Fuji, Mt Take-yama (武山) and then down to Tsukuihama Station (津久井浜駅). Once you’ve finished your hike, the cherry blossom festival is only 2mins away by train at Miurakaigan Station.

View of Mt Jinba

Mt Jinba

Another classic hike for those living in Tokyo is the Mt Jinba to Mt Takao traverse. You’ll get the opportunity to spot Mt Fuji from the peak of Mt Jinba, and its longer courses provides a nice step up if you’ve already had experience hiking Mt Takao.

View of Numazu Alps

Numazu Alps

The Numazu Alps are a series of low-lying mountains in Shizuoka. Don’t be fooled by the name - the Japanese like to name sets of small peaks as “alps” but this one only has a max elevation of 391m. You get opportunities to see out to the city of Numazu and Suruga Bay, as well as Mt Fuji if you’re lucky. Conveniently, it has public transport access with the option to do a 14km point-to-point hike, which starts and ends at a train station. Optionally, you can take a bus from the station to partway along the route to make your hike shorter.

Best hikes in March

In March, you’ll be waiting with bated breath as the temperatures finally start to warm up. You may be able to spot some cherry blossoms on your hikes, so it’s a nice way to enjoy some hanami (or “flower viewing”) away from the crowds. As the snow melts, you should be able to start to get back into the 1500m elevation mountains.

View of Mt Hodo

Mt Hodo

Mt Hodo is a mountain in Saitama’s Nagatoro Alps. With direct train access to the start of the trail, you’re looking at a course time of under 4 hours. If you come in March, you can check out a garden of yellow wintersweet flowers which should be in full-bloom.

The course starts at Nogami (野上駅) station and ends at Nagatoro station (長瀞駅). There is also the option to take the ropeway up to near the summit of Mt Hodo if you’re looking for a shorter hike.

View of Mt Mitsutoge

Mt Mitsutoge

Another of the mountains with a great view of Mt Fuji is Mt Mitsutoge, near Lake Kawaguchi-ko. It’s the most accessible of the mountains in the Mt Fuji area, since you can conveniently get a bus from Kawaguchiko station. If you do the longer trail starting at Mitsutoge station and ending at Kawaguchiko station, you may have the opportunity to see the cherry blossoms blooming from along the start of your route.

View of Hanno Alps

Hanno Alps

Another recent discovery of mine has been the Hanno Alps in Saitama. The entire route is a 30km long course, but is commonly split into two shorter day hikes. The northern portion of the trail via Mt Izugatake (a 12km course) is notable for its large sculpture of a pair of white hands.

Best hikes in April

April might be your last chance to get a clear view of Mt Fuji for a while, as the warmer months tend to bring hazier conditions. You may also still be able to to catch some cherry blossoms in bloom, as the timing of the short-lived sakura season varies a bit year on year.

View of Mt Ishiwari

Mt Ishiwari

Mt Ishiwari sits right next to Lake Yamanaka-ko, offering excellent views of Mt Fuji if the weather is in your favor. With an elevation of 1413m and good public transport access via a direct bus from Shinjuku, you can choose from course options ranging from 4km to 10km. The mountain is also known for its Ishiwari shrine, which comes with a unique cracked rock formation. If you pass through it 3 times, it’s said to bring you good luck.

View of Mt Iwadono

Mt Iwadono

Mt Iwadono’s trail takes you along a rounded cliff-face that you can get close to the edge of, if you’re brave! There are some short sections you will need to climb/descend via a chain rope, so it overall makes for a pretty interesting hike.

The course is 4.5 hour, 8km loop starting and ending at Otsuki station. Along the way you’ll pass Maruyama park (丸山公園) which was so beautiful when I visited in April with its sakura trees.

View of Mt Miyanoura

Mt Miyanoura

If you’re looking for a wilder, multi-day trek, temperatures will have warmed up enough in April that you can head down to Yakushima island. Off the coast of Kyushu, its forest is said to be the inspiration for Ghibli’s Princess Monoke. You can do a challenging 3-day traverse of the island, staying at unmanned mountain huts along the way and passing by Kyushu’s highest peak, Mt Miyanoura, and the famous Jomon Sugi cedar tree.

Best hikes in May

As it starts to get warmer, you’ll notice everything suddenly seeming a lot greener in the mountains. This is known as shinryoku or “new green”, as the snow has melted and the trees and vegetation start to come back to life on the mountains.

May is also the Golden Week public holiday period, one of the busiest in Japan. Expect mountains to be crowded. If you are coming by car, trying to find a parking spot at the trailhead may be a challenge, so opting for public transport may be a good idea depending on the mountain.

View of Mt Chausu

Mt Chausu

Mt Chausu is a volcano in Tochigi prefecture. Since it’s a volcano, it has a very harsh yet beautiful scenery that you don’t see in a lot of other Japanese mountains. With a ropeway that takes you near the summit, the course can be as short as 2km, making it very beginner-friendly. For more experienced hikers, you can skip the ropeway and extend your hike to include the neighboring peaks of Mt Asahi and Mt Sanbonyari for a total 12km hike.

View of Mt Kuju

Mt Kuju

I’ll admit I have a soft spot for volcanoes (they just make for some super cool hikes) so another one of my favourites is Mt Kuju down in Kyushu. As well as climbing through rocky terrain, the trail also has you descend into a small valley with volcanic mountains all around you. You can extend your hike to Mt Nakadake, the highest peak in mainland Kyushu.

If you time your hike for May, you’ll be just in time for the blooming of the pinkish-purple Kyushu Azalea, which grow on the sides of the mountain.

View of Mt Tonodake

Mt Tonodake

Mt Tonodake is one of the most popular peaks in the Tanzawa mountain range and is a mountain very popular with locals in Kanagawa. Climbing via either the Okura or Yabitsu-toge trailhead, you can get some great views of Mt Fuji and a pretty challenging workout from its long set of stairs. You can choose to extend your hike to include Mt Tanzawa, with a stay at one of the mountain huts along the way.

Best hikes in June

June is a bit of an unfortunate month for hiking in Japan - it’s finally starting to get warm enough to climb those mountains near the 2000m elevation mark, but it also coincides with the start of the rainy season or “tsuyu”. The variable weather can make it really hard to plan a hike, so you’ll have to keep a close eye on the forecasts and be prepared to find alternative plans if the weather is not great.

View of Mt Akagi

Mt Akagi

Mt Akagi in Gunma prefecture is particularly famous for its Japanese azaleas, which bloom a beautiful pinkish-red in June. The standard 5km loop course takes 3.5 hours, and passes by Lake Onuma and Akagi Shrine, with options to extend your hike to 12km to also include Lake Konuma.

View of Mt Zao

Mt Zao

With the rainy season in Japan, one of my hacks is to have multiple hiking plans ready to go. It might be raining in Tokyo, but if you can make a detour to another prefecture, you might be able to get in a hike with some clear weather. Mt Zao is all the way up in Yamagata prefecture, but is actually feasible as a day trip from Tokyo if you don’t mind paying the pricey Shinkansen fare. With a 5 hour course, you can make it out to the beautiful green Okama Crater.

View of Mt Kumotori

Mt Kumotori

Mt Kumotori is Tokyo’s highest mountain at 2017m elevation. Its 20km course is commonly done as a 2-day hike with a stay at the summit, but for those with stamina, it’s also possible to do as a day hike. Althouygh the trail is long, I found it to be relatively smooth without any technical sections, so it’s great as an introduction to longer distance hiking.

Best hikes in July

The rainy season can continue into July, so it can still be a little hard to time a hike, but as the rain finally clears and the temperatures really warm up, you can start to head to the highest elevation mountains of Japan.

You won’t be the only person with this idea though, and if you’re looking to do an overnight hike, bookings for mountain huts on weekends (especially public holiday weekends) can fill up quickly. I recommend booking early, or aiming for the middle of the week if you can.

View of Mt Kirigamine

Mt Kirigamine

Although Mt Kirigamine is classified as a mountain, it technically looks more like a large grassy field. The summit is quite close to the trailhead, so you can be done in under 90 minutes, but there’s the option to take longer courses so that you can enjoy more of a ramble in the fields.

The two highlights of this mountain is the Korobokkuru Hutte restaurant, which serves a borchst and coffee set, as well as the field of yellow Nikko-kisuge flowers which bloom in July each year. Note though that the flowers can draw large crowds, especially when combined with one of the public holiday weekends in July. I recommend coming on a weekday, to prevent you from getting stuck in an hour-long traffic jam.

View of Mt Kisokomagatake

Mt Kisokomagatake

Mt Kisokomagatake in Nagano prefecture is a great introduction to the Alps of Japan. With the highest ropeway station in Japan taking you to 2612m, you can get a stunning view for not too much effort at all. And if you are lucky, you may even sight the Japanese rock ptarmigan (or “raichou”) on your hike.

View of Mt Aka

Mt Aka

Mt Aka is the highest peak in Nagano’s Yatsugatake mountain range at 2899m elevation. It’s a very cool-looking mountain, with a lot of rocky ridges you get to climb up and down. You can hike the peak itself as a day hike or continue with a traverse hike out to Mt Io, with a stay at one of the mountain huts along the route.

Best hikes in August

August is the hottest month of the year in Japan. The heat can be quite oppressive just on a regular day’s walk in Tokyo, so I would recommend avoiding doing exerting hikes on low-elevation mountains due to the risk of heatstroke. It’s best to start your hikes early, and get as high-elevation as you can. Mid-August is Obon, where many Japanese companies will give summer vacation leave to their employees, and it also coincide with the summer holidays for school, so it can lead to some crowding depending on where you go.

The heat also makes for the perfect opportunity to escape to Hokkaido, which is the coolest region in Japan during summer due to how far north it is. I’ve done a 10-day roadtrip around Hokkaido in summer, and it also really amazed me how much emptier it feels than the mountains and campsites around Tokyo.

View of Mt Norikura

Mt Norikura

Mt Norikura is a beginner-friendly hike, and the southernmost mountain in the Northern Alps of Japan. With an elevation of 3026m, but a hiking course time of under 3 hours, it also has the reputation of being the easiest 3000m+ peak you can do as a day hike in Japan. This is made possible by a bus that takes you to Tatamidaira, the highest bus stop in Japan at 2702m.

View of Mt Asahi

Mt Asahi

If you’re heading up to Hokkaido, you can climb its highest peak, Mt Asahi, in Daisetsuzan National Park. It has a ropeway that takes you up to an elevation of 1600m, and from there you can do a 4.5 hour round-trip hike. As well as its reasonable distance, it has proper public transport access too (which is unfortunately rare for mountains in Hokkaido), so this is why it makes the top of my list. There’s a lake, which combined with the mountain flowers and reflection of the mountain can make for a pretty picturesque view (unfortunately on our trip it was quite foggy).

View of Mt Fuji

Mt Fuji

Of course, I’d be remiss not to mention Japan’s most famous Mountain, Mt Fuji, which can be climbed between July and August each year. It’s a bit of a mixed bag on how people feel about Mt Fuji - some say that it looks way better from afar, and the climb itself is a rather boring one with no scenery. I had a lot of fun when I climbed Mt Fuji though, and the views were amazing, which I think I can attribute completely to the weather. So I would say climb it but only if you can guarantee that it’s going to be a sunny and clear day.

Best hikes in September

September is the last month of the summer hiking season for those 3000m mountains in the Alps. Just like hiking in summer (so many mountains, so little time) I feel like there’s still so many hikes I want to recommend to you in this blog post, so it was pretty tough to limit myself!

View of Mt Azuma-kofuji

Mt Azuma-kofuji

Heading up to Fukushima, there is a funny-looking mountain called Mt Azuma-kofuji, with a conical crater you can do a loop around. From there you can extend your hike to climb the neighbouring Mt Issaikyo (一切経山) where you can get a pretty cool shot of Mt Azuma-kofuji from a distance.

Quite randomly, when I hiked this one in 2023, the only public transport option was a tour package that also came with a grape-picking experience. It was pretty fun though!

View of Mt Shibutsu

Mt Shibutsu

Mt Shibutsu is one of the mountains in Oze National Park. Along with its neighbour Mt Hiuchigatake, the pair lie on either end of the beautiful Ozegahara Marsh. The photo is of Mt Shibutsu from the top of Mt Hiuchigatake, which kind of gives you a sense of scale of the marsh, and you can see the little trail cutting across it too. With a hiking course time of 6 hours, Mt Shibutsu can be done as a day hike, but is also popularly done as an overnight trip, which gives you an opportunity to explore the marsh and optionally climb Mt Hiuchigatake as well.

View of Mt Washiba

Mt Washiba

The Northern Alps contain some of the tallest mountains in Japan. Mt Washiba and Mt Suisho are both sufficiently deep enough into the Alps that it’s not possible to do either as a day hike, so I climbed them as part of a 3 day, 42km hut-to-hut hike, staying for both nights at mountain huts on the trail.

The Northern Alps are a hiker’s dream, and the scenery from the hike was so gorgeous. Of course there are so many other famous mountains in this area so I’m definitely going to be back to hike more of them.

Best hikes in October

As the temperatures start to drop in October, you’ll now be looking to visit mountains in the 2000m elevation range. Depending on where yu’re hiking, the mountain slopes will also start to change colour, as the autumn leaves season or “koyo” begins. The koyo season starts as early as September up in Hokkaido, before finishing down in Kyushu in October, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to catch it in action. Elevation also plays a big factor too - so even if you miss the koyo on a mountain’s peak, you should still be able to catch it from nearer to the trailhead.

The cooler weather combined with the beautiful mountain scenery can mean a lot of crowds on the mountains, as it makes for some perfect hiking. If you’re checking out a more popular mountain, I’d recommend trying to plan your hikes for weekdays if you can.

View of Mt Adatara

Mt Adatara

Mt Adatara is surprisingly accessible as a day hike from Tokyo, thanks to the mighty Shinkansen network. I once chatted with an old hiker who told me he had climbed all of Fukushima’s “100 famous mountains” and that Mt Adatara had the prettiest autumn scenery, so this is definitely not one to miss in October.

View of Mt Tanigawa

Mt Tanigawa

Mt Tanigawa is also renowned for its scenery in the autumn season, although unfortunately I got unlucky with some clouds so I wasn’t able to properly appreciate its grandeur. A train can take you to Doai station, the deepest train station in Japan, after which its a shot walk to the Tanigawadake Ropeway. After getting the ropeway up, you can expect a 6km, 5 hour hike up to the summit and back.

Although the distance itself is short, there is considerable elevation gain which adds to the difficulty. If you want to challenge yourself, there is also the option to skip the ropeway entirely, which comes with a much steeper climb not for the faint of heart.

View of Mt Ishizuchi

Mt Ishizuchi

Mt Ishizuchi is on the island of Shikoku, and is another famous spot for autumn leaves in October. It has a lot of spiritual significance for practitioners of Shugendo (a Japanese religion originating in the 7th century). There is a rather steep chain-climbing section you can challenge yourself on, but there is a alternative route if you’d prefer a slightly more relaxing hiking experience.

Best hikes in November

November is your final chance to climb mountains at around the 2000m mark, although you may need to drop lower depending on when the temperatures start to fall. It can also be a great time to head down south for a Kyushu trip, as it stays warmer in Kyushu for a little longer than in Tokyo.

View of Mt Aso

Mt Aso

Mt Aso in Kumamoto prefecture is Japan’s largest active volcano, featuring the Nakadake crater which billows out white smoke. You can enjoy the scenery from down below, or head on a 5-hour hiking course up to Mt Aso’s highest peak, Mt Takadake.

As Mt Aso is such an active volcano, depending on its activity level it can be closed off to visitors. I would recommend double-checking its status before you go.

View of Mt Daibosatsu

Mt Daibosatsu

Mt Daibosatsu is another mountain where you can get a great view of Mt Fuji. With a 3 - 4 hour hike suitable for beginners, you can get a pretty cool shot of Mt Fuji together with the Kamihikawa dam. There are options to extend the course out to 6 hours by doing a point-to-point hike instead.

View of Mt Mizugaki

Mt Mizugaki

Mt Mizugaki is another lower-elevation mountain in Yamanashi. Although the course distance is short, it is deceptively hard as there are some steep climbs with 900m of elevation gain over just 5.5km. You can also pair it together with the neighbouring Mt Kinpu as an overnight camping trip.

Best hikes in December

December marks the beginning of winter hiking season. There will be definitely be snow on mountains above 2000m, while you may still be able to do hikes into the 1500m range before snow starts to fall in mid-January.

View of Mt Tsukuba

Mt Tsukuba

Mt Tsukuba comes with distinction of being the lowest elevation mountain of Japan’s 100 Famous Mountains. Out in Ibaraki prefecture, it can be accessed via a express train from Akihabara, and then a local bus to the trailhead. The mountain comes with two peaks, and so you can get a ropeway to near the top, and then do a 30 minute hike to reach both peaks. From either peak, you can get views out on the farmlands of Ibaraki below. You can skip the ropeway too, in which case you’ll be looking at a 4.5 hour hike with some rocky sections.

View of Mt Hinata

Mt Hinata

Mt Hinata is a lower-elevation mountain in Japan’s Southern Alps. It’s unique for having a sandy white “beach” at the summit. The Southern Alps has a lot of heavy-hitters like Mt Kita, the second highest mountain in Japan, but if you’re looking for a more gentle introduction, Mt Hinata is a fun place to start.

View of Mt Mitake

Mt Mitake

Mt Mitake is a popular mountain near Tokyo which I’d actually put in the same sort of category as Mt Takao, thanks to its cablecar access, food stalls and shrine near the top. However I wanted to try and find something more challenging for each month, so the course I’m featuring here is a hike from Okutama station to Mt Mitake.

The YAMAP course I’ve linked puts this as a 11km hike, which ends at the top of the Mt Mitake cablecar. However you can skip the cablecar and walk all the way to Mitake station, which bumps the course length up to 17km (see an example of someone hiking it here).

Along the way, you’ll also pass the peak of Mt Odake, from which you can get a view of Mt Fuji. There’s also alternate options to just do the hike between Mt Mitake and Mt Odake, or do a smaller loop course around Mt Mt Mitake’s rock garden.

Conclusion

I occasionally get asked for my recommendations on what to hike, and I’ve been wanting to write this post for a while - I’m glad I finally have something put together. Choosing a variety of mountains with different difficulty levels, as well as keeping the seasons in mind was harder than I thought! It gives me a lot more appreciation for people like Kyuya Fukuda who wrote the now-famous book on the 100 Famous Mountains of Japan.

I’m sure in the future as I hike more mountains, I’ll probably find better ones and end up replacing some of the ones on this list here. Some of these mountains I don’t have my own blog posts for either, so I’ll have to get around to them at some point.

If you’ve managed to read through to the end here, thank you!

Tags

Leave a comment