Mt Ono: A Kanagawa hike with Mt Fuji views

17 April 2026

Mt Ono (大野山, oono-yama) is a 723m elevation mountain in Kanagawa prefecture, known for its views of Mt Fuji. The trail is public transport-friendly as it starts and ends at a train station, and the trail is fairly walkable, even passing by a field of grazing cows along the way.

Japan has so many mountains that I usually go to a new one each time I go hiking. But now 4 years in, I’m finding myself starting to revisit some of my favourites over the years, especially the ones that I hiked before I started writing on this blog. Mt Ono is one of those - I had a good impression of it from the last time I visited (even though I barely got to see Mt Fuji) so I’m glad I got to return on such a beautiful, sunny day.

Hiking Mt Ono: a quick summary

Hike summary

Time 4 hrs

Distance 10km

Difficulty medium

Getting there

A 2-hour train trip from Tokyo to Yaga station on the Gotemba line.

Course

Yaga station → Yamakita station
medium Train

4 hrs · 10 km · ↑ 672m

When to hike

October - May

Weather forecast

Tenkura

Mountain stats

Elevation 723m

Belongs to

100 Low-lying Mountains of Japan

A quiet road leading out from Yaga station through lush green hills on a sunny day

The hike begins at Yaga station, which is a tiny rural stop on the Gotemba line. I would have taken a photo of it, but it was actually pretty packed with people. We arrived on the 9am train, which is a pretty ideal time to start a hike, so it seemed a lot of other people had the exact same idea as us.

A pedestrian bridge with a sign reading 大野山ハイキングコース Mt. Ono Hiking Course

Heading up the road from the station, you’ll cross over onto the other side of the train tracks, and then cut through a rice field.

Wide view of bright green rice fields in a valley with forested mountains rising behind — Pretty

After the rice fields, you’ll come to a bridge. Amusingly (or scarily?) the bridge has a “max 10 people at a time” sign at its entrance. I would recommend spacing yourself out if you’re coming in a larger group.

A wooden suspension bridge with a Japanese warning sign at its entrance and a Yaga station distance marker

The first 30 minutes of your hike will be up a winding road, but as you gain in elevation you’ll also get your first glimpse of Mount Fuji.

Two hikers walking along a shaded winding road through tall trees

Mt Fuji rising snow-capped above a hillside town, seen from the winding road up

Eventually you’ll come to a fork in the road where there is the trailhead for Mt Ono’s hiking course.

A narrow lane between stone walls leading toward the Mt Ono trailhead

Overall the trail is quite pleasant to walk on (smooth paths, no tree roots) but it does have a total 600m of elevation gain, so be prepared for a proper hike.

A narrow dirt hiking trail winding through low scrubby vegetation under a blue sky

The trail up also has a couple of deer fences. So if you come to a gate, just make sure to close it shut behind you.

An open metal deer gate in the middle of a cedar forest trail

Rather charmingly, some of the signposts have had their stumps painted with faces on them. And others have wood carvings that are starting to look rather weathered.

A wooden trail signpost with a cartoonish painted face on the stump, pointing to 大野山 65分 — I think it's an owl wearing a knit cap.

A weathered wooden carving of a pheasant perched on a tree stump beside the trail — A pheasant

As we passed a rest spot, we noticed that some enterprising locals had set up boxes where you can buy some jam or garlic paste.

An unmanned roadside stall with crates of jam and vegetables for sale under a wooden shelter

The blooming season for the cherry blossoms was already over, but there was one late-blooming variety of cherry blossom (known as the yae-zakura) on the trail.

Close-up of deep pink yae-zakura double cherry blossoms in bloom against a blue sky

A hiker climbing wooden-log steps up a steep open hillside flanked by tall dry grass

And as you keep climbing, Mt Fuji will again come into view. This is for sure the prettiest part of the course.

The hiking trail along a ridge with a sweeping view of snow-capped Mt Fuji rising above rolling hills — Wow!

Plus a bench with a rabbit that informs you that you have reached the height of the Tokyo Skytree (i.e. 634m).

A small bench with a carved white bird and rabbit statue beside a sign reading 634m — the same height as the Tokyo Skytree

We hiked this in mid-April, which turned out to be a really warm day with a top temperature of 25°C in Tokyo (and a quick glance at the weather app on my phone put the local area here at 20°C). Actually it was on the verge of feeling hot, so I think if you were to climb this any later in the year you would want to make sure you are not starting too late in the day, due to the lack of tree cover.

A black kite soaring in front of Mt Fuji and blue sky, with dry grass stems in the foreground — A black kite (or tobi) flying by

A painted tree stump with a red-and-white face resembling a dwarf, leaning against a fence post — Another painted stump - unsure if this is supposed to be santa? A dwarf, maybe?

At the summit, you’ll be greeted by a couple more carved wooden statues - a duck, a deer looking at its butt, plus a bunny.

The Mt Ono summit area with carved wooden statues, peak marker boards, and Mt Fuji visible in the background

And I had thought the hanami (flower viewing) season was over, but we were just in time for the blooming of this sakura tree.

A large yama-zakura tree in full white bloom with hikers picnicking beneath it at the summit

Close-up of white yama-zakura blossoms densely covering branches against a clear blue sky

It seems to be the fittingly-named yama-zakura (山桜 or “mountain sakura”) variant.

Hikers picnicking on the grass beneath a blooming yama-zakura tree, with Mt Fuji visible in the background — Plenty of people were enjoying a picnic underneath it, together with Mt Fuji.

Hikers sitting on benches along a fenced grass ridge, looking out at snow-capped Mt Fuji under a clear blue sky

From the peak, you can take the exact same route in reverse back down to Yaga station, but we opted to continue on for the slightly longer course down to the neighbouring Yamakita station.

A carved wooden bear statue wearing a scarf and holding a trail direction sign — This bear guides us onwards.

Although it doesn’t really feel like it, Mt Ono is technically one of the mountains in the Tanzawa mountain range - and somewhere in the distance on the left are the peaks of Mt Tonodake and Mt Tanzawa.

A wide ridge path with dry grass and power lines, with the Tanzawa mountain range visible in the distance

Along with the Mt Fuji view, the other interesting point about this hike is that there are cows!

The entrance to the cattle farm area on the trail, with a gate, signage, and bare trees

This is Kaoru-no-farm, which was started by a lady named Kaoru who made the news for starting up this dairy farm when she was just 29.

Several brown cows grazing freely on a hillside pasture with a winding path running through the middle

A brown cow grazing beside a metal feeder in a field, with more cattle and open hills in the distance

A small orange Japanese copper butterfly (ベニシジミ) resting on low vegetation — A small copper butterfly (ベニシジミ)

Once you head down a huge staircase past the field of cows, you’ll enter into a forested stretch.

A long wooden staircase descending steeply past the cattle fields with a wide valley view below

Wooden log steps on the trail beside a carved rabbit statue and a sign reading 634m — Tokyo Skytree height — Another rabbit - we're back down to the same elevation as the Tokyo Skytree.

On the hike up, we passed by a couple of large hiking groups. But in comparison this section of the hike was a lot quieter. I wonder if some people take the out-and-back course instead.

A narrow forested trail winding past stone retaining walls through tall trees

On the descent, the trail was a bit narrower and more like your typical hiking trail. One small section was slightly sloped, but if you watch your step you will be fine.

A steep, leaf-covered trail through a mixed forest with tall trees on either side

At one point we came to a little junction in the trail, complete with a pictograph.

A small wooden sign hanging from a tree trunk with a hand-drawn pictograph of a Jizo figure

Usually signs might have some Japanese on it which doesn’t always help, but this makes it pretty clear that there’s a detour Jizo statue up ahead.

A corrugated tin-roofed shed housing a Jizo statue, with Japanese text on the side panel

And yep, there were two little tin sheds housing some Jizo statues.

A small tin-roofed shrine with multiple Jizo statues and offerings inside, set in the forest

My husband helpfully attempted to translate the story written on the wall of the shed - something about a child getting lost from his parents, stacking stones, being attacked by demons, and then being saved by the Jizo.

Two stone Jizo statues of different sizes inside a wooden shed, with a prayer board covered in Japanese Buddhist text

So after I got home I decided to read up on this - and it’s the story of Sai no Kawara (賽の河原). In Buddhist teachings, as part of your journey to the afterlife you must cross the Sanzu River (三途の川). However dying before your parents is considered to be a sin in Buddhism, so when children reach the river they are doomed to endlessly stack a tower of stones as a form of penance, which keep getting knocked down by some pesky demons.

Obviously this is a super sad story for any Buddhists out there that lose their children too soon - so the story has a bit of a happy ending where the Jizo Bosatsu comes along to act as their parent and escort them into the afterlife.

As another side note, I never really thought about why I often see Jizo statues on hikes and by the side of roads, but he is the guardian deity of children and of travellers, so that makes sense.

A narrow road curving through green forest with metal guardrails on both sides

So, with that short lesson on Buddhism out of the way - back to the hike. Actually, the last hour of the hike is all along a road, which begins shortly after you pass the Jizo statues.

A painted wooden dwarf figure on a stump under a guardrail, with a sign pointing toward Yamakita station — One final dwarf pointing the way to Yamakita station, this one is quite cute.

Pale blue Iris japonica (シャガ) flowers with yellow and purple markings growing along the roadside — The Iris japonica or シャガ flower

A gecko (yamori) sheltering inside a circular road reflector on the side of the road — I even spotted a gecko or "yamori" hiding in one of those little light reflector things on the side of the road

As you reach the first signs of civilisation, you’ll notice a tea field, and a former elementary school building. It looks a bit derelict but it has been re-purposed and is used by an NPO (共和のもり).

A hillside tea field visible through a chain-link fence, with parked kei trucks below

The former Kyowa Elementary School entrance with a brick gate post and a bronze statue of a child

Mt Fuji framed between a fence and a wall from a residential road on the descent — One final view of Mt Fuji, bye bye!

As you keep walking, you’ll pass two statues of ladies in horse-riding gear - randomly named Tanzawa Catherine and Christel. Even these two have some lore. They were originally located at the entrance to a riding club, which was coincidentally next to the trailhead for Mt Tonodake. Eventually they were given a fresh lick of paint and ended up here.

Two painted statues of women in equestrian gear, Tanzawa Catherine and Christel, holding a 大野山 trail sign

Just across from the pair, there’s a little capsule toy vending machine (or “gacha”). If you have a spare 100 yen, you can pop one in and get a pin badge.

A small capsule toy gacha machine in a metal cage by the roadside

After you finish passing through the residential area, you’ll have a long walk alongside a road.

Hikers walking under a large concrete highway overpass on the road leading to Yamakita

The road feels like it stretches rather endlessly along here, albeit with one encouraging “20 minutes to go!” sign.

A small sign propped against a roadside post with Japanese text indicating about 20 minutes remaining to Yamakita station

And once you make it into the town of Yamakita, you’ll pass along a side street that runs parallel to the railway track.

A quiet residential lane lined with large trees near Yamakita station

They had finished blooming, but we could see that this stretch of trees were actually all sakura trees. If you come a little earlier in the season, it would make for quite the view. We also spotted a woodpecker in the trees (alas, it flew away before I could get out my telephoto camera lens).

A cafe with a red umbrella terrace and soft-serve ice cream signage, with a dog on a leash outside

There’s also a cute cafe here that does pudding and soft serve. The pudding they serve comes from the farm that’s up near the peak of Mt Ono.

A photo of a glass jar of Japanese pudding topped with soft serve. — I didn't have it this time, but here's the photo from when I last had it in 2023. Yum yum.

And as I approached Yamakita station I also saw a lot of barn swallows flying overhead. They never seem to sit still, but when one landed on a power line I took that opportunity to grab a photo for my birding collection.

A barn swallow perched on a power line against a clear blue sky

Two barn swallows perching under a dark storefront awning near Yamakita station — They were also hiding behind the storefront awning.

Arriving at Yamakita station, our hike was done for the day.

The front of Yamakita station (山北駅) with a traditional tiled roof, JR signage, and vending machines outside

The train from Yamakita station only runs once an hour so depending on how much time you have, you could kill time at the cafe or have a proper lunch at one of the restaurants in the area. There’s also a Daily Yamazaki convenience store if you want something that’s a bit quicker.

Hiking course options

Yaga station → Yamakita station

medium Train

4 hrs · 10 km · ↑ 672m

YAMAP How to use YAMAP

YAMAP course My hike · Apr 2026

Other

AllTrails

The course we took. You can do this course in either direction, but the two reasons I would recommend doing it in the order that we did it in are:

There are more opportunities to see Mt Fuji on the hike up, and generally your chances are higher of seeing Mt Fuji in the morning, so it’s best to do the climb via Yaga station first.
Yamakita station is a lot more lively, and has some lunch / cafe options, plus an onsen (“Sakura no Yu”) so there’s a lot more to do post-hike. Yaga station is fairly dead in comparison.

The one reason I might do this one in the reverse is if Mt Fuji is not visible at all - then you could start from the Yamakita side in the hopes that as the day goes on, there might be an opportunity for the clouds to clear and Mt Fuji to pop out.

Out-and-back to Yaga station

easy Train

3.5 hrs · 8 km · ↑ 600m

YAMAP

YAMAP course

Starting at Yaga station, after reaching Mt Ono, you can retrace your steps back down the mountain to Yaga station. To be honest, this course is nearly the same difficulty as above. I would recommend this if you are looking for a slightly shorter hike, or if you want want the familiarity of knowing what the descent hike is going to look like beforehand (since you will have already climbed it).

Drive to the summit

easy Car

0.25 hrs · 1 km

Mt Ono is accessible by car, so if you are looking for a quick picnic at the summit, you can drive to a carpark that’s right near the top.

Public transport access

Getting there

Tokyo → Yaga station (谷峨駅)

Approx 2 hours by train, with a transfer partway to the Gotemba line

The hike starts at Yaga station (谷峨駅) on the Gotemba line. I would recommend looking at Google Maps to figure out the best route there.

If you are coming from Tokyo station, the quickest possible route is on the JR Tokaido Line to Kozu station (国府津駅) and then a transfer to the Gotemba line until you reach Yaga station.

If you are coming from Shinjuku, you should take a train on the Odakyu line to Shin-Matsuda station (新松田駅), and then transfer to the Gotemba line from there. The Odakyu and Gotemba lines are a short walk away from each other, and if you have the spare time there is also a convenience store at Shin-Matsudata station you can pop into.

Getting back

Yamakita station (山北駅) → Tokyo

Gotemba line - take the same route back

The hike ends at Yamakita station. The train from Yamakita station only runs about once an hour so I would pay attention to the timings to make sure you can catch your intended train.

As a final pro-tip, when we got off the train at Yaga station there was a huge queue for the toilets.

Groups of hikers gathered near the toilet block outside Yaga station on a sunny day

Being a tiny rural station, there’s probably only 1 male and 1 female toilet each in the toilet block. If you have time and are going via Shin-Matsuda station, I might recommend using the toilets inside of Shin-Matsuda station (i.e. before you exit the barriers) since those are larger/cleaner.

Otherwise, there was at least one toilet partway on the hike up, and then one available at the summit as well.

The Mt Ono trailhead area with a small wooden information hut beside the road — Toilet partway up on the trail. We didn't use it, but the lady standing outside wanted to make sure we knew that her partner was using the female toilets because the male one was broken (lol)

Car access details

Mt Ono has a carpark near the summit which can fit a total of 40+ cars. It’s about a 2-hour drive from Tokyo. On the day we hiked it, although there were plenty of hikers about, the actual number of people using the carpark was very few so there were plenty of spots. You can find the carpark on Google Maps here.

When to hike Mt Ono

Mt Ono has an elevation of 723m, which makes it mostly snow-free throughout the year. I would recommend climbing it in the colder months as it makes for some rather comfortable hiking, and would avoid it in summer due to the heat and bugs.

In terms of snow, from a quick look at YAMAP it doesn’t seem like Mt Ono has a period where it is consistently covered in snow - just a couple days here and there during winter. As a reference point Tokyo had some snow on the 7 - 8th of February in 2026, so you can see there’s a fair accumulation of it up on Mt Ono from this YAMAP hiking log on the 9th of February. There also seemed to be a smattering of snow in mid-January which cleared up fairly quickly.

We hiked this in mid-April, which was the perfect time for the yama-zakura tree at the summit. If you time your hike for towards the end of March, you will be able to enjoy the sakura trees down at Yamakita station.

If you are unsure of the conditions, I would encourage you to take a look at the latest trail logs on YAMAP before your hike so you can verify what the trail looks like.

If you are wanting to catch Mt Fuji, make sure to take a look at the Mt Fuji visbility forecast before your hike.

Hi, I'm Emma!

I used to be a complete homebody, until I started hiking in 2022 and got immediately hooked. Since then, I've climbed more than 150 mountains across Japan - from day hikes near Tokyo to 3-day hikes in the Japanese Alps - and written about 104 of them (and counting!) on my blog.

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