Mt. Hinode (902m) — Traverse from Mt. Mitake to Tsuru-Tsuru Onsen

Trail Overview

Mt. Hinode (日の出山, Hinodeyama, 902m) sits on the border of Ome City and Hinode Town in western Tokyo. The name translates to “Sunrise Mountain” — fitting, because the east-facing summit offers sweeping views across the entire Kanto Plain. On New Year’s Day, hundreds of hikers climb here to watch the first sunrise of the year.

The most popular way to hike Mt. Hinode is as a traverse from Mt. Mitake. You ride the bus and cable car up to Mt. Mitake, visit the ancient Musashi Mitake Shrine, then walk the ridge trail to Mt. Hinode. After enjoying the summit views, you descend to Tsuru-Tsuru Onsen — a natural hot spring with silky pH 10.1 alkaline water that makes your skin remarkably smooth. A bus from the onsen takes you to Musashi-Itsukaichi Station to complete the journey.

With cable car access, the elevation gain from Mt. Mitake to Mt. Hinode is a gentle 70 meters. The well-maintained trail has no technical sections, making it ideal for beginners, families, and anyone looking for a satisfying day hike that ends with a hot spring soak.

Recommended Route: Mt. Mitake → Mt. Hinode → Tsuru-Tsuru Onsen

This point-to-point route starts at Mitake Station on the JR Ome Line and finishes at Musashi-Itsukaichi Station on the JR Itsukaichi Line. The fact that you start and end at different train stations is an important detail to plan for — but it also means you get to experience a true mountain traverse rather than a simple out-and-back.

Course Time

Section	Duration
Mitake Station → Takimoto Station (bus)	10 min
Takimoto Station → Mitakesanyama Station (cable car)	6 min
Cable car station → Musashi Mitake Shrine	25 min
Musashi Mitake Shrine → Mt. Hinode summit	About 60 min
Mt. Hinode summit → Tsuru-Tsuru Onsen	About 90 min
Tsuru-Tsuru Onsen → Musashi-Itsukaichi Station (bus)	About 20 min
Total (excluding breaks)	About 3.5 hours + bus/cable car

Tip: The traverse trail from Mt. Mitake to Mt. Hinode passes Shinonome-sanso (a small mountain hut) before a gentle climb to the summit. There’s no need to rush — enjoy the ridgeline scenery as you walk.

Highlights

Panoramic Views from the Summit

The summit of Mt. Hinode opens dramatically to the east, revealing a vast panorama of the Kanto Plain. On clear days you can spot Tokyo Skytree, the high-rises of central Tokyo, and even Mt. Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture far to the northeast. Benches and a shelter at the top make it a perfect lunch spot.

The mountain is especially famous as a New Year’s sunrise viewing spot. Watching the sun rise over the Kanto Plain from this summit is a quintessentially Japanese mountain experience.

Musashi Mitake Shrine

Before starting the traverse, visit this roughly 2,000-year-old shrine atop Mt. Mitake. Uniquely, it enshrines the wolf (ōkami) as a sacred messenger, earning it the affectionate nickname “O-inu-sama” (Honorable Dog). Dogs are welcome at the shrine — a rarity in Japan.

Seasonal Highlights

🌸 Spring (March–May)

• Fresh green beech and oak forests along the ridge trail
• Azaleas and rhododendrons bloom near the summit (late April–mid May)
• Katakuri (dogtooth violet) colonies around Mt. Mitake

☀️ Summer (June–August)

• Shady ridge trail stays relatively cool
• Rest at the summit shelter with a breeze
• The post-hike onsen feels especially rewarding in summer heat

🍁 Autumn (September–November)

• Peak autumn colors: late October to mid-November
• The ridge walk through red and gold foliage is spectacular
• Mt. Mitake’s pilgrim road is also beautifully colored

❄️ Winter (December–February)

• New Year’s sunrise hike is the premier winter event
• Crystal-clear air offers the best long-distance views
• Light snow is possible — carry light crampons for icy sections

Tsuru-Tsuru Onsen — The Post-Hike Reward

The crown jewel of this hiking route is Shōgai Seishun no Yu Tsuru-Tsuru Onsen (literally “Lifelong Youth Hot Spring”) waiting at the bottom of the descent. The natural hot spring water, pumped from 1,500 meters underground, has an unusually high alkaline content that gives the onsen its name.

Onsen Details

Detail	Info
Official Name	Shōgai Seishun no Yu Tsuru-Tsuru Onsen
Water Type	Simple alkaline hot spring (pH 10.1)
Key Feature	Highly alkaline water that leaves skin silky smooth
Hours	10:00–20:00 (last entry 19:00)
Closed	3rd Tuesday of each month
Price (3 hours)	Adults 960 yen / Children 480 yen
Overtime	270 yen per additional hour

What Makes It Special

The pH 10.1 alkaline water gently dissolves excess oils from your skin, leaving it genuinely smooth — hence the name “tsuru-tsuru” (silky/smooth). The facility has two bathing halls: a Japanese-style “Bijin no Yu” (Beautiful Skin Bath) and a Western-style “Seishun no Yu” (Youth Bath), which alternate between men’s and women’s on odd and even days. Both feature indoor baths, open-air baths, saunas, and cold plunge pools.

Dining

The in-house Panorama Cafeteria serves local specialties including Hinode Town’s signature “red udon” noodles, hoba-yaki (grilled on magnolia leaf) set meals, and rice cooked in iron pots. Soft-serve ice cream made with local milk is a popular treat after a soak.

Bus from Tsuru-Tsuru Onsen

Nishi Tokyo Bus runs between Tsuru-Tsuru Onsen and Musashi-Itsukaichi Station roughly once per hour. The ride takes about 20 minutes and costs 490 yen. Check the latest schedule before your trip, and on weekends, queue early as buses can fill up with hikers.

Convenience Stores & Shops

Convenience Stores (Near Trailhead)

Store	Location	Notes
7-Eleven Ome Mitake	3 min walk from JR Mitake Station	Last chance to buy food and drinks

Tip: The convenience store near Mitake Station is your final supply point. Stock up on snacks and water here. If starting from the Musashi-Itsukaichi side, buy supplies near that station before catching the bus.

Shops & Teahouses (On Trail)

Shop	Location	What’s Available
Cable car station shop	Mitakesanyama Station	Souvenirs, snacks, drinks
Mt. Mitake village shops	Along the shrine pilgrim road	Warabi-mochi, oden, amazake
Shinonome-sanso	Just below Mt. Hinode summit	Mountain hut (limited supplies)
Panorama Cafeteria	Inside Tsuru-Tsuru Onsen	Red udon, set meals, soft serve

Note: The shops along Mt. Mitake’s pilgrim road have varying hours and may close on weekdays. Always carry your own snacks as backup.

Restrooms

Plan your restroom stops before starting the traverse — there are no toilets on the ridge between Mt. Mitake and Mt. Hinode.

Location	Notes
🚻 JR Mitake Station	Inside the station
🚻 Takimoto Station (cable car base)	Before the boarding area
🚻 Mitakesanyama Station (cable car top)	Inside the station building
🚻 Mitake Visitor Center	Well-maintained (open 9:00–16:30, closed Mondays)
🚻 Nagao-daira	Public restroom near the lookout
🚻 Near Mt. Hinode summit	Bio-toilet (below summit toward Mt. Mitake side)
🚻 Tsuru-Tsuru Onsen	Full facilities inside

Important: Use the restrooms in the Mt. Mitake area (Visitor Center or Nagao-daira) before beginning the traverse to Mt. Hinode. Carry tissue paper as a precaution.

Access Information

This route starts and ends at different train stations — an important detail to keep in mind when planning.

Getting There: JR Mitake Station

• Train: JR Ome Line to Mitake Station (about 90 minutes from Shinjuku via JR Chuo Line to Ome Line)
• Bus: Nishi Tokyo Bus from Mitake Station to “Cable-shita” (about 10 min, 290 yen)
• Cable Car: Mitake Tozan Railway (Takimoto → Mitakesanyama, about 6 min). Adult one-way 600 yen, round trip 1,130 yen
• First cable car: Weekdays 7:30 / Weekends 7:10 (runs every 15 min approx.)

Getting Back: Musashi-Itsukaichi Station

• Bus: Nishi Tokyo Bus from Tsuru-Tsuru Onsen to Musashi-Itsukaichi Station (about 20 min, 490 yen, roughly hourly)
• Train: JR Itsukaichi Line from Musashi-Itsukaichi Station (change at Haijima Station for Shinjuku direction — about 1 hour total)

By Car

Driving is not ideal for this point-to-point route since you start and finish at different locations. If you do drive, park at Tsuru-Tsuru Onsen (free parking) and hike up to Mt. Hinode as an out-and-back, or arrange transport back to your car.

Packing Checklist

• ✅ Hiking shoes or sturdy sneakers (hiking shoes recommended for the descent)
• ✅ Water (500ml–1L)
• ✅ Trail snacks (onigiri, bread, chocolate)
• ✅ Rain jacket (mountain weather is unpredictable)
• ✅ Towel and change of clothes (for the onsen!)
• ✅ Coins and cash (for bus, cable car, and onsen fees)
• ⬜ Hat and sunscreen (spring through autumn)
• ⬜ Light crampons (winter, for icy sections)
• ⬜ Bear bell (recommended in the Okutama area)
• ⬜ Tissue paper (for mountain restrooms)

Related Trails

• Mt. Mitake — Cable Car to a Mountaintop Shrine & Rock Garden: Detailed guide to Mt. Mitake, the starting point of this traverse
• Mt. Kawanori — Okutama’s Famous Waterfall & Forest Ridge Walk: A step up in difficulty from Mt. Hinode, also in the Okutama area

FAQ

Q: Do I need to submit a climbing notification for Mt. Hinode? A: No climbing notification (tozan todoke) is required for Mt. Hinode, but it’s always good practice to file a hiking plan with someone.

Q: Can I climb Mt. Hinode without going via Mt. Mitake? A: Yes. You can take a bus from Musashi-Itsukaichi Station toward Tsuru-Tsuru Onsen and hike up directly via the Hinode-yama Hiking Course. This is a steeper approach taking about 2 hours one way.

Q: Is the trail safe in rain? A: The trail is well-maintained, but the dirt paths become slippery when wet. Avoid hiking in heavy rain. In light rain, bring proper rain gear and watch your footing on the descent.