Mt Kumotori (雲取山)

08 March 2024

Mt Kumotori (雲取山, Kumotori-yama) is a 100 Famous Mountain and Tokyo's highest mountain at an elevation of 2017m. Due to its course length of 20km, it's most commonly done as an 2-day hike with a stay at the summit, but I wanted to challenge myself and did it as a dayhike in June of last year.

I wouldn't recommend suddenly doing this as a dayhike if you aren't sure of your hiking fitness, but I had done a similar 20km course the month prior, which gave me the confidence to give Mt Kumotori a go as a day trip.

trail start — The course begins at Tozura bus stop

I took a bus from Okutama station to the Tozura bus stop (留浦バス停). From here it's a 2.8km, 50 minute walk to the actual trailhead where you begin your hike.

June is when the rainy season begins in Tokyo, and so in the weeks leading up to this hike I had been anxiously checking the weather forecast to figure out when I could go before it set in. The forecast for this day was rain only in the early morning, so by the time I began my hike there were only clear blue skies.

The carpark at the trailhead was quite empty, and I wonder if the reason was due to the weather forecast (or the fact that it was a weekday). I was alone for most of the trail, except near the summit where I passed some people descending.

There is a total 1700m elevation gain over this course, but considering that it's spread out over 20km it didn't feel too steep overall. It's also quite walkable, with long stretches of "smooth" path rather than any tricky sections with lots of tree roots or rocks to trip you up on.

This course also takes you past Mt Nanatsuishi (七ツ石山, Nanatsuishi-yama), elevation 1757m.

From Mt Nanatsuishi you get your first glimpse of the peak of Mt Kumotori in the distance.

first peak — Mt Kumotori is the large peak on the left

looking back — Looking back at the progress I've made. I would take a guess that the large peak in front is Mt Nanatsuishi

Once you begin the final approach, you can see a large building which is the mountain hut at the summit of Mt Kumotori.

Once you reach the summit, there's a couple of different peak markers.

mt kumotori — This is the Yamanashi one, marking it as a 100 famous mountain of Yamanashi

second mt kumotori — The large stone marker, marking it as the highest peak in Tokyo

hyakumeizan — And finally one letting you know that this is a Japan 100 Famous Mountain

From here it's back down the same way I came. Before I started this hike I was pretty concerned about whether I could reach my time deadline (to make sure I got on a bus before it got dark) but I was ahead of schedule by this point, and feeling pretty good.

look back — Going back down the way I came

In the end I finished my hike just after 3pm, and did the 24km in just under 7 hours.

This hike's a great one if you want to get a lot of walking in, and with its smooth trails I could see it as a nice "beginner" course if you're planning on doing an overnight stay with a heavier pack.

Hiking course details

Date climbed	Length	Course time
2023-06-07	19.7km	10h47m (the expected time for an average hiker without breaks)

The official course is a out-and-back course that that starts and ends at 小袖登山口 (Kosode-tozanguchi), which is where the carpark is located. If you're coming via the Tozura bus stop, you'll have to walk 50 minutes one way from the bus stop to here. This will bring the official course time up to over 12 hours, and with a total of 24km.

There is a toilet available near the bus stop, as well as at the peak.

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Public transport access with example schedule

Time	Location	Transport	Cost	Notes
04:59	東京（とうきょう)	Train	1275
07:17	奥多摩 (おくたま)
07:25	奥多摩	Bus	740	奥11 bus
07:58	留浦 (とずら)

There is also the 鴨沢 (Kamosawa) bus stop which is a little closer to the trailhead and you can get to via the 奥09 and 奥10 routes, so I would recommend researching the bus schedules to see what works best for you.

Please note this schedule is NOT doable if you follow the course time. There are later buses (the last possible one is at 19:19) but I opted to put 17:57 in the schedule just keeping in mind sunlight hours. I would recommend not doing this as a dayhike if you are not confident in being able to do this course quickly.