
When I first moved to Japan, I wondered what do hikers do in winter? If you are interested in snow hiking, a whole new world of opportunities open up, and winter sports like skiing and snowboarding are a popular option too. However both involve a lot of extra equipment you need to buy or rent, and arguably there is a small risk of injury too. If you just want to stick with snow-free mountains, there are still plenty of options around Tokyo, even in February (the coldest month in Japan).
My general rule of thumb for winter hiking in Tokyo is:
- Mountains under 500m elevation are snow-free all months of the year
- Mountains at an elevation of 1500m are still snow-free in December and for part of January. But a no-go in February and parts of March.
- For mountains in the 500 to 1500m range, it’s a bit more variable, so I always make sure to check the trail conditions before my hike on YAMAP.
However, Tokyo generally gets a day or two of snowfall per year. So I would expect that if it happened to snow in Tokyo, even the lowest elevation mountains may have some snow on it.

I say it a lot, but checking YAMAP is always a good idea. I’ve assumed that there would be no snow on a mountain, and then run into it near the summit a couple of times before!

Staying warm is key for winter hiking, so I recommend bringing a lot of cold weather gear - like gloves, a knit cap, and lots of removable layers. Usually in winter I will wear 5 layers: a thermal undershirt, another long-sleeve thermal/shirt, a thin fleece jacket and thin down jacket, and finally a raincoat/windproof jacket on top of that. I usually take off 3 of these layers as I warm up on the hike up, but tend to put all of them back on when I take breaks or when I start descending, as your body will chill quite quickly.
Cup ramen is also a common sight on the mountain-tops in Japan, with some hikers bringing along a small burner to boil their water at the summit. I’ve never done it myself, but it always smells so good - I definitely want to try it sometime!

Sometimes I see people attempt to make their cup noodles only with a thermos of hot water, with varying results. If your thermos doesn’t retain all of the heat, you end up with a kind of sad ramen that hasn’t quite cooked through. Bringing both a thermos and a burner if also an option if you don’t mind the weight, as this can reduce the time to boil your water (it can take quite a while in winter).
The lower elevation mountains in my Tokyo day hikes post have a number of good winter hiking candidates, including Mt Takao, Mt Hodo and Mt Tsukuba. I’ve also got 6 more winter hikes listed below, which I’ve all had experience with hiking in January and February.
Numazu Alps (391m)
Snow-free year-round

The Numazu Alps is a series of low-lying mountains in Shizuoka. You get opportunities to see out to the city of Numazu, 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.
Mt Miura-Fuji (183m)
Snow-free year round, but recommend coming in mid-February for the cherry blossoms.

Mt Miura-Fuji (三浦富士) is a bit of a niche mountain, but its hiking course is actually an excuse to stop by the Miura Kaigan Cherry Blossom Festival, which is held each year in mid-February to mid-March. Unlike the more famous Japanese sakura which bloom in March or April, the winter cherry blossom, or Kawazu-zakura, begin to bloom in mid-February, and is a more vivid pink. Arguably, it looks prettier, too!
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.
Mt Bonoore (969m)
Possibly some snow in February and early March.
Mt Bonoore (棒ノ折山) is a favourite for hikers looking for an escape from the summer heat, thanks to its course that takes you through a small gorge. But it’s actually quite nice to climb in winter as well! There is a tiny bit of running water, but as long as you are careful, you will be fine. However since you are scrambling over some large rocks, I wouldn’t recommend coming here the day after any rain, because it might be quite slippery.

However, since it is close to 1000m, the conditions can be a little variable. I climbed Mt Bonoore in mid-February of 2022 and it had no snow, and in mid-February of 2024 we can see on YAMAP there was no snow then either. However then there was some snowfall just a couple of days later that persisted until mid March.
There are a number of course options, all with public transport access:
- A 5.6km loop course starting and ending at Shirasawa trailhead (白谷沢登山口)
- An 8km loop course starting and ending at the Takinodaira ridge trailhead (滝ノ平尾根登山口)
- A 14km point-to-point course that starts at Ikusabata Station (軍畑駅), and ends near the Shirasawa trailhead. There’s the onsen さわらびの湯 nearby, so it’s a nice place to wash off your sweat before you get on a bus out.
Mt Buko (1304m)
Snow in February and possibly through March

I’ve hiked Saitama’s Mt Buko (武甲山) at the end of January, and it was snow-free. I’ve also hiked it at the beginning of March, when there was a tiny bit of lingering snow. So I would say that it’s possibly snow-free in March, but I can see one example on YAMAP in late March of 2024 where there was still some snow on the trail, so I think this can be quite variable as well.
Mt Buko has a 15km point-to-point course if you are using public transport - it starts and ends at a train station which is super convenient. There is a more manageable 7km loop course, but this will require a car.
Mt Ishiwari (1413m)
Snow in January and possibly through March

Mt Ishiwari (石割山) is a mountain right next to Lake Yamanaka-ko, and great if you’re looking to get up close and personal with Mt Fuji. I’ve had the chance to climb it in early January of 2023 with no snow, although looking at YAMAP, it looks like it maybe start to get snowfall from late January, which persists until mid-March.
Mt Tonodake (1491m)
Snow in February and possibly March

If you’re looking for another mountain to see Mt Fuji from, Kanagawa’s Mt Tonodake (塔ノ岳) has some great viewpoints. I’ve climbed it in December and mid-January before without any issues. March is a bit more variable. In 2024 we can already see there was no snow in mid-March, but for example in 2022, there was still fresh snowfall at the beginning of April.
To hike Mt Tono-dake, you have two course options:
- A 13km out-and-back course starting and ending at the Okura (大倉) trailhead. This is only a 15min bus ride from Shibusawa station
- A 14km point-to-point course, starting at the Yabitsutoge trailhead and ending at the Okura trailhead. This is about 40 minutes by bus from Hadano station, so a little bit more of a hassle, but the course is more varied and you get to enjoy Mt Fuji for longer.
Other day hikes near Tokyo
If you haven’t checked it out already, my Tokyo day hikes post has a number of other low-elevation hikes if you’re looking for more ideas. I would especially recommend Mt Takao, Mt Hodo and Mt Tsukuba.
Happy hiking!
Leave a comment