(両神山) Mt. Ryokami Hike

One of those - why is this a hyakumeizan? It was a pleasant hike up, and the view of Mt. Fuji is just the tiny tip (see picture above, which was taken via drone. It's the summit + Fuji in the background). 

Budget: JPY2,980 (~USD28)

• JPY790. Train, Ikebukuro Station to Seibu-Chichibu Station.*
• JPY700. Bus, Seibu-Chichibu Station to Hinata-ooya Bus Stop (transfer at Ryougami-chousha-mae Bus Stop)
• JPY700. Bus, Hinata-ooya Bus Stop to Seibu-Chichibu Station (transfer at Ryougami-chousha-mae Bus Stop)
• JPY790. Train, Seibu-Chichibu Station to Ikebukuro Station.*

*There’s an express train that costs JPY1,500 one way, so be careful what you ride.

Hike Date / Difficulty (Elevation: 1,723m / 5,563ft)

• December 11, 2021
• Difficulty: 3 out of 5.
• Route below is around 9.5kilometers, with an elevation change of ▲1,063m/ ▽1,063m. (numbers based on this site)
• Map Link (yamap)

When to Go
Anytime during the year, but the buses may change depending on the season. Bring spikes for winter.

Special Notes

• Weather check.
• It is a dayhike if you have a car, but if using public transportation, things may become a bit sketchy.
• Based on the time of the map, if you take a break (and not follow the time), then you’re gonna miss the last bus.
• Trailheads 
• Hinataooyaguchi Bus Stop (日向大谷口). Access as follows:
• Train, Tokyo to Seibu-chichibu Station.
• Bus, Bus, Seibu-Chichibu Station to Hinata-ooya Bus Stop (transfer at Ryougami-chousha-mae Bus Stop).
• Bus Schedule: 
• Seibu-chichibu Station (西武秩父) to Hinata-ooya (日向大谷口). Earliest bus leaves at 8:20am, and gets there at 9:48am. Some buses leave earlier, but they all arrive at 9:48am. 
• Hinata-ooya (日向大谷口) to Seibu-chichibu (西武秩父) : 07:30am, 09:05am, 11:48am, 03:10pm, 05:20pm, 06:37pm
• The station to transfer at seems to differ depending on the season, so check before you go.
• Shiroisa (白井差). Shortest distance to the summit, and not a public trail. This is maintained by the old guy at the trailhead, which is why the signs are all handwritten and prepared by him. He also maintains the trail, including the bridges. Google maps pin.
• Reservations needed before coming, call 0494 79 0494. JPY1,000 per person, which comes with the Mt. Ryokami pin. Drive to the trailhead, and the house close to the road is where the couple is at, so just go the house and say hello so they can point you to the parking lot. You'll get a 10 minute lecture from the grandpa and he'll make you take his map. He'll explain the route, what to see etc. 
• The roads are closed around December to February, depending on the snow. They said that you can go up the road (with chains), but not go down. 
• Kamiochiaibashi (上落合橋登山口). It looks like the shortest route, but it's not, because the shortest route is closed, so you'll have to loop around. Google maps pin.
• Mountain huts.
• Paid. None.
  
• Free. Kiyotaki-koya (清滝小屋). Apparently it used to be a paid mountain hut. It is also pretty close to the summit, about an hour and a half. 
• Camping. Right next to the free hut. 
• If hiking in winter, consider visiting (三十槌の氷柱) Misotsuchi Icicles too, though private transport is needed to see the night lights. 

Itinerary - Dayhike

• 06:50am. Train, Ikebukuro Station to Seibu-Chichibu Station.
• 08:14am. Arrival Seibu-Chichibu Station, go to bus stop 4, look for the one going to Kusushi-no-yu Bus Stop(薬師の湯). 
• 08:20am. Bus, Seibu-chichibu Station to Hinataooyaguchi Bus Stop (日向大谷口) 
• 09:48am. ETA, Hinataooyaguchi Bus Stop (日向大谷口)
• 10:00am. Start trek. 
• 01:00pm. ETA: Kiyotaki-koya (清滝小屋), which is a free hut. If it's before 1pm, take lunch. Definitely need to start continuing on by 1pm. 
• 02:28pm. ETA: Summit. Ryougami-san. 
• 06:15pm. ETA: Trailhead.
• 06:37pm. Last bus.
• 07:04pm. ETA, Seibu-Chichibu Station.

Actual Log
We had a car, so I changed the trailhead to Shiroisa and called ahead of time. Our target was simple - try to get there at 6:30am.  Map time target is +30%.

• 06:10am. Arrived at trailhead, called the number again because I couldn't find where to park. Parking was behind a blocked area. We had the rather long lecture from the grandpa, got ready to hike, and soon were off.
• 06:30am. Started hike. It was a fairly chill hike, with a consistent gradient going up. It was like going up a treadmill with an incline. 
• 09:35am. Reached the summit. 
• 10:05am. Started our descent. 
• 12:00pm. Back at the parking lot. 

A pleasant start to our hike. 

Getting to the waterfall. 

Beautiful morning sun. 

Some of the "bridges" made by grandpa. 

Grandpa's trail signs. Most of the signs look like it was simply written with a marker as opposed to the official looking ones. 

The halfway point. 

And so the snow starts. Started putting our spikes on. 

At the ridge, close to the summit. 

Last push to the summit. 

Summit! 

On our way back down. 

Pleasant stroll down. 

One big flat spot. But camping is not allowed in this trail. 

Like a treadmill, with an incline. 

Back at the parking lot. 

Oh, and here's the map he provided.