So, this time I decidedly took the paved community road to reach Mt. Ohno (ASL 722.8m). It may sound boring with a hiking itinerary solely on the asphalt. But if you’re interested in visiting a mountain community of the 21st century Japan, it would be an educational experience, relatively near the downtown Tokyo. Having said that, from the bus stop Ohno-yama Iriguchi 大野山入口 (“Entrance to Mt. Ohono”) to the top of the mountain, it‘s almost one-way climb of 2.5 hours walk. Don‘t underestimate the physical requirement of the course. At the beginning of the course is a quiet mountain road, where until about 150 years ago there was an official checkpoint as a part of security system of Hakone Checking Station 箱根関所, protecting Edo (Tokyo) City against the intruders from the west. At that time those “tourists“ taking our itinerary today must have passed the inspection at the checkpoint and paid fee to use the route. Also, unless you lived in this particular area, no women was allowed for the road. (More to this system of gender problem arouond Hakone Checking Station when we go there.) Even though, the road to Mt. Ohno was popular for those planned to climb Mt. Fuji from Edo (Tokyo). The ancinet popluarity of the road can be traced in our route today ... There are many communities along our way despite of remoteness from the city centres. You guess why ...
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| Going up |
From the bus stop, soon we‘ll recognize a gigantic flyover before us high above. It‘s Tomei Express Way at Tsuburano Tunnel Point. Tsuburano Tunnel is the second longest tunnel in the entire Tomei Express Way (; the longest is Nihon-zaka Tunnel in the neighboring Shizuoka Prefecture). Many people say “Kanagawa side of Tomei Express around Tsuburano Tunnel has more atmosphere of deep mountain than in Shizuoka side …” Oh yes. It is so, very much around here. Yet, below the Express Way there are several houses that are apparently home for somebody else. We also find a signpost saying “Prefectural Yamakita Tsuburano Park 県立山北つぶらの公園, this way.” Yamakita Tsuburano Park is on the hilltop where Tsuburan Tunnel runs beneath. Its establishment was relatively recent in 2017. It has an ample car parking space where going to “the top of the hill” from the parking takes less than 10 minutes’ walk. The highest point of the park has lots of cherry trees, azaleas, hydrangea, and wide-open lawn space. There, we can enjoy spectacular vistas of Mt. Fuji and Hakone. The place sometimes has yoga sessions and children’s events (; event schedule can be checked here). If you plan to drive your family to a picnic, it’s a safe and relaxing park.
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| Tomei Express Way |
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| We don’t see such road often from below. |
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| The direction to Tsuburano Park |
Walking under the flyover of Tomei Express Way, in less than 5 minutes there will be a bus-stop with the name Ohno-yama Tozanguchi 大野山登山口 (“The Beginning of Mt. Ohno Hiking Course”). Unfortunately, there is no bus service any more up to here. Only the signpost remains … Or, maybe, people do not give up hope for recovering bus service … After the defunct bus stop, there appears a yellow house with a plate “The boxing gym that locates at the most remote area in Japan in deep mountain.” Around the gym there is a wooden box with a notice saying “the place is for a stop of volunteer-operating community car service on-demand-base.” Welcome to the Republic of (Kanagawa’s) Tibet, named Kyowa (= “Republic”) community of Yamakita Town! There is a kind of eccentricity, I feel, in the atmosphere of communities we’ll meet in today’s itinerary. In any case, without a car, life here in deep Yamakita Town would be very difficult. The paved road we’re walking today has very important utility for mountain people. Eventually, we’ll meet a Y-crossing. Whichever the direction both roads are paved. The road that goes right is the way we’ll coming back from Shinmei-sha Shrine 神明社after Omine-iri お峯入り ritual. Let’s keep it for our afternoon itinerary. We take to the left. In no time another gigantic construction site appears before us.
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| The defunct bus stop |
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| For locals only car service |
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| Boxing gym |
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| We return from the right road. |
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| Walking for a while the left road, |
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| here we’ll be welcomed another gigantic civil engineering site. |
It's the place where the building is on-going for the Shin-Tomei Express Way (“New Tomei Express Way”), connecting Toyota City of Aich Prefecture and Ebina City of Kanagawa. People are drilling a tunnel here whose exit is on Yadoriki 寄 side we pass-bye when we visit Yadoriki Water Source Forest やどりき水源林. The construction of Shin-Tomei Express Way is almost completed, except this part. The entire Shint-Tomei was supposed to be opened to traffic before the planned opening ceremony of Olympics in July 2020. Er … the site has two seriously injured workers in May 2022, and one person killed in February 2021. Granted, the place is not in an easy location for civil engineering. Many things have happened, and the life goes on even if there are unexpected accidents … So, during weekdays, our itinerary up to here has heavy traffic of huge construction vehicles. If you plan to walk the itinerary during M-F, please be careful. In contrast, during weekends, the site is very quiet. The tiny rivulets pouring to Fukazawa Stream 深沢 were gushing in when I’ve been there on October 8th. I guess with such an abundant water flow coming from underground, construction would be tricky. We see the gigantic site on our right, and keep on climbing the paved road.
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| This side in Yamakita Town |
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| The other side in Yadoriki |
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| I guess it becomes an aqueduct for Fukazawa Stream … |
The concrete road is one way silently going up in a deep and mainly afforested coniferous forest. The sound of Fukazawa Stream is below us. Suddenly and occasionally several human settlements appear along our route. After about 1.5 hour climb from Ohno-yama bus stop, we reach relatively more populated community at Fukazawa Sansa-ro 深沢三叉路 (“Fukazawa Three-way Intersection”). The houses here are large and old. I guess those owners of the houses were descendants of samurais who worked for the Checkpoint. Fukazawa Sansa-ro has a public toilet, maintained by the good-will of the community. Thank you … To keep on walking the paved car road to the top of the mountain, please choose the north-going road, with the direction “Kadoya Farm かどやファーム, this way.” Until about ASL 500m, the afforested coniferous forest continues, intermingled with broad-leaved trees. As we’re approaching to ASL 600m, the environment around us becomes more grassland-like. It’s not for timber line, but due to development of farmland around the top of Mt. Ohno. The current owner of the farm in Mt. Ohno is Kadoya Meet Trading Co. of Odawara 小田原市. They raise livestook here, especially for branded Ashigara Beef 足柄牛. 30 minutes or so walk from the three-way crossing, there appears a small complex of their cattle barn and office buildings on our left. At the entrance of their business, they have a lounge and parking spaces with toilets. It’s open for tourists. They sell frozen meat and ice cream by vending machines. Also in front of their business, they provide picnic tables viewing a wide-open space for Sagami-bay 相模湾 and Pacific Ocean. If you’re driving and have a cooler on hand, purchasing beef here as a souvenir would be in your to-do list. Otherwise, we can order their product raised in Mt. Ohno via internet.
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| The sign of human settlement over there … |
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| The
toilets at Fukazawa Three-way Intersection. Those red and blue doors are that. |
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| The view to Sagami Bay becomes wonderful from around here … |
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| It’s a large house, in such a deep mountain … |
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| A bit more of forest … |
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| which becomes a grassland by and by … |
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| Tsuburano Park can be seen down there. |
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| Picnic table at Kadoya Farm |
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| which
is at more or less the same height as the top of Tokyo Skytree Tower, the sign says. |
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| Kadoya Farm rest house |
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| Inside |
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| Vending machine for beef |
From the cattle farm, the climb to the peak of Mt. Ohno becomes slightly less steep. In less than 20 minutes from the farm, we find another Y-crossing. In front of us there is a public toilet, and the tourists’ cars visiting Mt. Ohno will find an entrance to parking space on the left. To join the ritual at the top of the mountain, we turn left here and reach the top of Mt. Ohono. I started to walk from the Entrance of Mt. Ohno bus stop around 10:10, meandered here and there along the paved road, ice cream at the farm, and arrived the top of the mountain around12:30. Despite of continuous going up only, the route would be a nice introduction for novice hikers. Next week, I tell you the ritual that held at the peak of Mt. Ohno and Shinmei-sha Shrine. It was really magical …
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| From
Kadoya Farm to the top of Mt. Ohno. I think this is the first downing slope today. |
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| Oh, Beef! Er, no, cattle. |
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| Around
the peak of Mt. Ohno for this itinerary is landscaped this much. |
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| The Y-crossing
from Kadoya Farm. For Omine-iri, a security personnel was dispatched by the town for traffic control. |
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| It
started to rain after noon … in front of us was Hakone Owaku-dani Valley 箱根大涌谷. |
If you find environmental issues in Kanagawa Prefecture, please make a contact with Kanagawa Natural Environment Conservation Center 神奈川県自然環境保全センター
657 Nanasawa, Atsugi City, 243-0121
〒243－0121 厚木市七沢657
Phone: 046-248-0323
You can send an enquiry to them by clicking the bottom line of their homepage at http://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/div/1644/
You can send an enquiry to them by clicking the bottom line of their homepage at http://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/div/1644/
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