From Sagamiko to Jinba to Fujino 🍜🗻
With fun climbs, stunning views and delicious hut food, this is one of the most accessible and rewarding trail adventures in Tokyo.
Mt. Jinba is one of the most breathtaking peaks that you can easily hike within a morning from Tokyo. In just a few hours, you can enjoy a 360-degree panoramic view of the city, the surrounding mountains, and Mt. Fuji itself, all while relaxing at a welcoming teahouse. It is remote enough to be rarely crowded, but runnable ridges leading to Mt. Takao and Mt. Kagenobu make it popular with trail runners on both weekdays and weekends.
As is common in the area, the trails are very well marked and maintained, providing a safe and relaxing experience. The Jinba Kogen-shita bus stop, located about a 20-minute walk north of the summit and served hourly, offers an easy way to return if needed.
Details
| 📏 Distance | 14 km |
| 🗻 Climb | 885 m |
| 📌 Start | JR Sagamiko |
| 🏁 End | JR Fujino |
| 💪 Level | Intermediate. The trail is wide and not technical, but fairly steep |
| 👟 Shoes | Trailrunning shoes are recommended for safety |
Access and amenities
| 🚄 Access | From Shinjuku Station, you can take the Chuo Line for approximately 55 minutes to disembark at Sagamiko Station. Since there are few direct trains, you will probably need to transfer to a local train at Takao Station. The trains run frequently, arriving roughly every 30 minutes. |
| 🗄 Lockers | There are no lockers available at Sagamiko or Fujino stations. However, you may use lockers at Takao Station if you're transferring there. |
| ♨ Hot springs | Jinya onsen can be reached via a detour from either the Jinba summit or the Sawai area. It offers a fun, traditional experience, but the descent to Fujino is quite long, so you might prefer to take a taxi instead. The opening hours are somewhat irregular, so it's a good idea to call ahead to confirm. |
| 🚻 Toilets | Restrooms are available at Sagami Station, Miyo Pass, Jinba summit, Sawai, and Fujino Station. |
| 🍽 Food | There are two huts at the top of Mount Jinba and a small local food shop at the Sawai bus stop. While there are no convenience stores in Sagamiko or Fujino, interestingly, there is a long staircase leading to the Family Mart at the Fujino westbound highway rest area, about a 10-minute walk from the station. |
The route
From the Sagamiko Station exit, turn to your right and follow the narrow paved path along the railway line. You will arrive at a large overpass terrace that crosses over the Chuo Expressway, serving as the unexpectedly scenic entrance to Yose Shrine. Both the shrine gate and the steep staircase afterward make for memorable photo spots.
Once you reach the shrine, the trailhead to Jinba begins to your left and quickly becomes steep, winding in zigzag fashion up to an initial rest area with a few benches and views over Lake Sagami. As you enter the forest, the trail gradually smooths out and becomes more runnable (be cautious of a small trail collapse in this area) before reaching a steep staircase leading up to Myoo Pass. At the pass, you'll find views of Mt. Fuji, a public toilet, and a mountain hut that is rarely open.
Beyond Myoo Pass, you'll join the main ridge connecting Takao and Jinba, which tends to be more crowded than the earlier sections. Enjoy the wide, runnable trail for the next 2 kilometers up to the 855-meter summit of Mt. Jinba. On clear days, you can enjoy spectacular views stretching from Mt. Fuji to Tanzawa and the skyscrapers of Shinjuku. At the summit, there's a -uhm- distinctive modern horse statue, inspired by the literal meaning of Jinba ("Horse camp") and its history as a feudal campsite, built by the Keio Railway Company.
There are two huts at the summit, plus a third that I have never seen open in 15 years. They mainly serve mushroom soup, yuzu-flavored soba and udon noodles, yuzu soda, and yuzu sherbet. Indeed, Fujino is known for its yuzu orchards.
From here, the trail descends enjoyably to Fujino Station. Alternatively, you may choose the Tochiya Ridge route to reach the Jinya Hot Spring nestled along the Tochiya River in the mountains (see details above). Both routes converge near the Sawai Post Office, where you'll find a public toilet, a farm selling local beans, and a small food shop next to the bus stop.
If you prefer to run back to the station, the 2.5 km road to Fujino Station is fairly flat and runnable, though unremarkable.