(石老山) Mt. Sekiro Hike

This mountain follows the trail next to a river, which is just so peaceful and beautiful. What it does not have, however, is a view. There's a little viewing deck that has no view (covered by trees), and a little opening near the summit.

The picture above is the view from the viewing deck - but via my drone.

Budget: JPY2,680 (~USD25) from Tokyo

JPY2,480. Train, Tokyo < > Sagamiko Satation (JPY1,240 one way)
JPY200. Bus, Sagamiko Station -> Sekirozan-iriguchi

Hike Date / Difficulty (Elevation: 702m / 2,303ft)

May 30, 2021
Difficulty: 3 out of 5. 2 out of 5 if without Mt. Arashi.
Route below is around 11.5kilometers, with an elevation change of ▲1,182m/ ▽1,166m (5h40m)

Mt. Arashi section is closed as of May 2021 due to typhoon damage in 2019
Sekirozan-iriguchi is also closed

Map Link

When to Go
Anytime during the year.

Special Notes

Weather forecast: Japanese.
Trailheads.

Sagamiko Station (相模湖駅). Mt. Arashi is closed as of May 2021, so check first if this is applicable.
Sekirozan-iriguchi (石老山入口). Google maps pin.

Train, Tokyo to Sagamiko Station.
Bus, Sagamiko Station to bus stop. The bus stop is right outside Sagamiko Station, bus stop 1.
Google maps work, but here's the bus schedule for easier planning. Can be once, twice or thrice an hour depending on the time, so check the schedule.

Pleasure forest (プレシャーフォレスト). Google maps pin.

The bus stop right before Sekirozan-iriguchi (trailhead above), and the only trailhead for now (May 2021).

There are vending machines near the trailhead (camping ground). No other way to get water after that.
Mountain huts.

Paid. None.
Free. None.
Camping. Sagamiko Camping Ground. Google maps pin.

Mountains covered

Mt. Sekiro (石老山)
Mt. Daimyojin (大明神山)
Mt. Arashi (嵐山)

Itinerary

07:14am. Train, Tokyo to Sagamiko Station.
08:53am. ETA: Sagamiko Station.
09:00am. Bus, Sagamiko Station to Sekirozan-iriguchi.
09:07am. ETA: Sekirozan-iriguchi. Start hike.
10:50am. ETA: Mt. Sekiro summit.
02:40pm. ETA: Sagamiko Station.

Actual log

07:14am. Train, Tokyo to Sagamiko Station.
08:53am. Arrived at Sagamiko Station. Went straight to bus stop 1.
09:00am. Bus, Sagamiko Station to Pleasure Forest.
09:06am. Arrived at Pleasure Forest bus stop. Walked back for about ten meters, crossed the street, and followed the signs to Mt. Sekiro. There's minimal signs in English, so make sure to have the Japanese kanji on hand.
09:27am. Arrived at the trailhead close to the camping ground. Google maps pins here. We did our hike slowly, and took plenty of breaks. I don't remember a distinct steep section, and I think it was generally a gradual ascent.
11:13am. Arrived at Mt. Sekiro summit, and took a lot of long break. We then continued on to the next summit Mt. Takatsuka (高塚山), which saw a lot of ups and downs. This was a trail that is not well used, but still pretty clear cut.
11:58am. Arrived at Mt. Takatsuka (高塚山). Took a picture, and headed back to Sekiro summit. We stopped for a bit, took plenty of stops.
02:25pm. Arrived back at the camping ground. Checked the time and saw we had plenty of time to get to the bus stop. Only one or two buses come every hour.
02:55pm. Pleasure Forest Bus Stop. Took the bus to Sagamiko Station, and soon back in Tokyo!

Transferring at Shinjuku Station to take Keio Line instead of JR and save myself about JPY300 one way.

Exiting Sagamiko Station.

Right outside the station are signs saying take the Pleasure Forest stop for people hiking Mt. Sekiro.

At the Pleasure Forest Bus Stop, we backtracked a bit, and had to cross to the others side for the trailhead. Not that visible in this photo, but there are directions at the end of that overpass.