- Elevation 2056m
- When to climb Mid-April - December
- 3 - 4 hours for the standard loop course, with options for longer courses.
Mountain stats
3 hours from Tokyo. Take the JR Chuo line to Kai-Yamato station, then a shuttle bus to the trailhead.
2 hours drive from Tokyo. There is a large car park 10 mins from the trailhead.
Mt Daibosatsu (大菩薩嶺, Daibosatsu-rei) is a Hundred Famous Mountain with stunning views of Mt Fuji. Its short course also makes it a great daytrip from Tokyo for beginner hikers. With an elevation of only 2056m it can be hiked for most months in the year without snow as well.
I climbed it in November of 2022, and took the loop course which will only take you 3 - 4 hours. You can go in either direction, and since the hikers ahead of me went counter-clockwise I opted to do the same.
About an hour after beginning my hike I reached Daibosatsu-toge (大菩薩峠). On that day I could see what looked like a sea of clouds covering the town below. By this point I was taking a lot of photos.
… but little did I know, all I had to do was head a little further along and then you get to see the iconic Mt Fuji with the Kamihikawa Dam in the foreground.
This area wasn’t as crowded as the peak itself was, and so it was a great spot to take a quiet snack break while you soak in the view of Mt Fuji.
Beyond that is some comfortable hiking along the ridge before you finally reach the peak of Mt Daibosatsu. With no tree coverage I could imagine this being pretty hot if you went in the peak of summer, but it was enjoyable in the autumn weather.
Finally you begin the descent, and this portion was probably the only annoying bit, as you had to navigate your way around a lot of rocks.
In terms of which way you want to walk this course, I guess it’s a matter of personal preference. Either you finish off with these rocks or get them out of the way at the start of your hike - but I was happy with doing it at the end rather than at the beginning!
I sped through this hike in under 3 hours and had a lot of time to spare after I was finished, so I got some soba from a store near the bus stop.
Since this was my second ever solo hike, I still had a lot of nerves going into it, hence why I opted for the shortest possible course. Daibosatsu-rei is definitely a mountain I want to visit again, but next time with a longer course!
If you’re looking to see Mt Fuji I also recommend climbing outside of summer since your chances of seeing it increase in the colder months.
Hiking course options
| Date climbed | Length | Course time |
|---|---|---|
| 2022-11-02 | 7.5km | 3h45m (the expected time for an average hiker without breaks) |
The shortest and most standard loop course will have you do a loop starting and finishing at the Kamihikawa-toge (上日川峠) in 3 - 4 hours.
Alternatively, you can finish your hike at the Daibosatsurei trailhead bus stop (大菩薩峠登山口バス停), which will give you a course time of 5.5 hours. If you are coming by car, a 7 hour, 12km loop course from the nearby Marukawa-toge carpark (丸川峠分岐駐車場) is also another option.
If you are using Alltrails, some course options are available here and here.
There are toilets available at the trailhead.
Public transport access with itinerary
If you google “大菩薩嶺 バス” you should be able to find a PDF of the latest bus schedule. Here is the 2024 bus schedule. Note that the bus only runs between mid-April and mid-December, so double-check the bus schedule if you are planning on hiking in the colder months. It also runs on weekdays, but at a reduced schedule.
| Time | Location | Transport | Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06:01 | Tokyo station (東京駅) | Train (JR Chuo line) | 1980 | |
| 08:03 | Kai-Yamato station (甲斐大和駅) | |||
| 08:10 | Kai-Yamato station (甲斐大和駅) | Shuttle bus | 1020 | |
| 08:51 | Kamihikawa-toge (上日川峠) |
The shuttle bus was cash only so make sure to bring small notes + loose change.
15:45 is the last bus back, so depending on your speed and how long you rest at the summit you may be able to get one of the earlier buses.
| Time | Location | Transport | Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15:45 | Kamihikawa-toge (上日川峠) | Bus | 1980 | |
| 16:30 | Kai-Yamato station (甲斐大和駅) | |||
| 16:42 | Kai-Yamato station (甲斐大和駅) | Train | 1020 | |
| 18:44 | Tokyo station (東京駅) | |||
| Trip total: | 6000 |
Car access
There are 3 parking lots near the Kamihikawa-toge (上日川峠) trailhead. If they are full, there is also a larger overflow carpark with 300 spots about a 10 minute walk from the trailhead at Daibosatsu Lake (大菩薩湖北岸駐車場).
When to climb Mt Daibosatsu
The most popular times to climb Mt Daibosatsu are in May, when the weather has started to warm up, and in October - November, when the autumn leaves are starting to change colour. As it is a relatively low elevation mountain, I bet it can get quite hot in the summer months. Your chances of seeing Mt Fuji decrease in warm weather too, so I would recommend going in the colder months if you can. In terms of snow, it may still be lingering at the beginning of April, and there is a chance of snow in December as well. I would recommend checking the latest trail conditions on YAMAP.
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