(高松山) Mt. Takamatsu Hike

Sitting next to Mt. Ono, this hike is visited for the view of Mt. Fuji at the summit.  Enjoy that, because there's practically nothing else to see the rest of the hike. 

Budget: JPY2,650 (~USD25)

• JPY2,060. Tokyo < >  Shin-Matsuda Station (JPY1,030 one way)
• JPY470. Bus, Shin-Matsuda Station to Tashiromukai.
• JPY120. Bus, Takamatsuyama-iriguchi area to Shin-Matsuda Station area.

Hike Date / Difficulty (Elevation: 801m / 2,628ft)

• February 28, 2021
• Difficulty: 2 out of 5
• Route below is around 10kilometers, with an elevation change of ▲734m/ ▽913m (3h55m)
• Map Link 

When to Go
Anytime during the year. 

Special Notes

• Weather forecast: Japanese. 
• Trailheads. Both trailheads are mapped in google maps, so just hit the google maps pin to figure it out. 
• Tashiromukai (田代向). Google maps pin. 
• Access.
• Train, Tokyo to Shin-Matsuda Station. If taking the Odakyu Line, try to stay at carriage 6 so it's closer to the exit. 
• Bus, Shin-Matsuda Station to Tashiromukai. North exit, left, bus stop 2 in blue font, white box.  There are two bus stops outside North exit, one at the left (blue font, white box) and one in front (white font, maroon box). JPY470, 18m one way. 
• Takamatsuyama-iriguchi (高松山入口). Google maps pin. 
• Access.
• Train, Tokyo to Shin-Matsuda Station. 
• Bus, Tomei-Matsuda Bus Stop to Tomei-Yamakita (東名山北) Bus Stop. 
• This bus is actually a high way bus from Shinjuku/Yokohama, so on the return trip you can just take one bus home - bus schedule from Shinjuku / to Shinjuku, about 105 mins, 1,320 one way. 
• Mountain huts. 
• Paid. None. 
• Free. None. 
• Camping. None

Itinerary

• 07:34am. Train, Tokyo to Shin-Matsuda Staiton. 
• 09:33am. ETA: Shin-Matsuda Station. 
• 09:40am. Bus, Shin-Matsuda Station to trailhead. 
• 09:58am. ETA: Tashimorukai bus stop. Start hike. 
• 12:10pm. ETA: Takamatsu Summit. One hour lunch. Shabushabu!
• 01:10pm. Start descent. 
• 02:55pm. ETA: Takamatsu-iriguchi trailhead. Figure out a way to get to Matsuda Station for the sakura. 

Actual Log

• 07:34am. Train, Tokyo to Shin-Matsuda Staiton. 
• 09:33am. Arrived at Shin-Matsuda Station, Odakyu line. Matsuda Station, JR line is about 500 meters away. 
• 09:40am. Bus, Shin-Matsuda Station to trailhead. Just tapped my IC card. 
• 09:56am. Arrived at a nondescript bus stop - Tashimorukai bus stop. There were a couple of people also going to Mt. Takamatsu, but I think we took separate routes.  From the bus stop, I walked back about five meters, turned right and walked to the bridge. Turned left after crossing the bridge, walked five minutes, and turned right before crossing this second bridge. Walked for ten minutes before I got into another intersection, and I took the turn to my left. I decided to follow the signs saying 高松山 over yamap, which in hindsight is still the correct choice, I just misread the signs (just like any other girl, I saw signs that weren't there :p)
• 10:58am. I made the wrong turn. I thought that the sign to Mt. Takamatsu was pointing at the rooty, narrow path up, but apparently I should have had returned at the road then. This was somewhere at the last leg of the road switchbacks, around here: google maps pin
• 11:23am. Back on trail! Whew. Nothing too steep, everything in the trail was curated so it was a chill ascent. Close to the summit there's an option to take the steep male trail or the longer but less steep female trail. I prefer things straight out so I took the more direct path of the male trail. 
• 11:50pm. Arrived at Takamatsu Summit. Started my shabu shabu for lunch!
• 12:45pm. Started descent. It was a lot of stairs and steep until ビリ堂. From there there were more flat walks than descents, until I got to the trailhead / next to the construction, at which point it was stairs, then steel stairs, then road. 
• 02:55pm. ETA: Takamatsu-iriguchi trailhead. Figure out a way to get to Matsuda Station for the sakura. 

Arrived at Shin Matsuda Station!

Lining up at the bus stop - white box, blue font bus stop 2. 

After getting off the bus, immediate had to cross a bridge and turned left. 

Soon there was another bridge, this time I turned right before crossing. 

There are signs every now and then, only in Japanese though. 

The loooooong walk, after which I arrived at the intersection-ish part, and took the left turn. Just followed the road. 

Another fork - and I followed the one pointing to the left saing 高松 (instead of my map). 

Both directions work, but the one at the left is the short cut (近道)

Bit steep though. 

Arrived at a fork, turned left and walked in the midst of the houses. 

Arrived at a deadend, to be told by a local to take the stairs...

and turn left once I'm back on the road. And I'm back on the map too. 

Almost missed this - the sign on the right pointing to the trail so I don't have to walk on the road. 

The trail covered in last year's autumn foliage. 

Arrived at the road again but was led off the road by this marker. 

Arrived at the road again, and I thought I had to continue on the trail. Apparently I should have had stayed on the road. I WENT OFF TRAIL FOR 20 MINUTES. The trail that I recognized (and was decently marked) was likely used by the people maintaining the place. 

Got some immersion with thousands of these flowers though. 

Back on trail!!! Whew. 

Ok, that's what I'm talking about. Well marked and wide. My expected Japanese trails. 

Now back to my ascent. 

The split between the girl - boy slopes/trails. I took the boy one. 

aaaand was pleasantly surprised by the view of Fuji! and the unfortunate but expected crowds. 

Found my seat and had my shabushabu!

The summit marker. Yup, that's it. 

Going down. I turned left at this intersection. 

Pretty trail down. 

A LOT of stairs til ビリ堂

The ONE leech warning. Makes me wonder if this mountain does have leeches?

ビリ堂. 

From here on it was not so steep. 

The trail merged with the road at one point, and I almost missed this trail. 

almost back to reality. 

Back to stairs... next to construction. 

and now it's steel stairs. 

A long one too. 

Then back to road. 

From here on it was a long way on the road. 

Crossed the bridge to the bus stop. 

Arrived at the bus stop - which was on the super highway. The doors are kept closed to keep the animals away. 

The bus was still almost an hour away, so I decided to walk. 

It was a loooong walk with plenty of ups and downs. I regret that decision. 

There's a cemetery on the side....

...and a beautiful view of Mt. Fuji behind me. 

Finally arrived at the sakura place near Shin Matsuda Station. 

I was already late - the leaves have started to sprout. 

So I have a nice mix of pink, yellow and green.  

On the ten minutes it'll take to reach the top, they have station markers too. Like a mountain. 

A view of Mt. Fuji at the top. Time to go home. I'm pooped.