... is a somewhat taxing but non-difficult climb normally undertaken as a 2-day hike with a stayover at one of the several mountain huts. A member of the venerable "hyakumeizan" - 100 famous mountains - it is a thoroughly enjoyable and accessible hike, with excellent views of the surrounding mountain ranges and Fuji in the distance from the peak. There are 3 main approaches to the peak, I hiked in from Mitsumine Shrine (accessible by bus from Seibu Chichibu station), spent the night at Kumotori Sanso, summited in the early morning and then hiked down to Kamosawa bus stop - a bus ride away from Okutama station. The trailhead at Mitsumine Shrine is much higher up than Kamosawa at about 1000m, but takes you through a lot more up-and-downing (and through several other summits), making it somewhat unclear which is the easier approach. Downward though, the long and smooth descent towards Kamosawa seems clearly the easier, though I'd recommend a detour up the summit of Mt Nanatsuishi on the way. It's possible to go beyond Kamosawa towards Okutama on foot through several more mountains, but that extends your hike by a significant 5 or so km. The ridgeline from the summit towards Kamosawa/Okutama is long, easy and breathtaking so I would recommend including that in your hike route. Kumotori Sanso - the mountain hut where I spent the night - can be reserved by calling or by emailling, though some japanese ability would probably be required. IIRC camping at the huts require no reservation. As mentioned, the trail is long, but devoid of technically difficult bits. It is well-maintained and well-marked throughout so that you wouldn't even need a map if you are able to read the signs - which are in Japanese. Some Kanji that might be useful to note: 雲取山 - Mt Kumotori 山頂 - Summit 鴨沢 - Kamosawa 三峰神社 - Mitsumine Shrine バス停 - Bus stop 雲取山荘 - Kumotori Sanso (mountain hut)

The climb was quite hard, but even more so, I got to experience the amazing scenery and the mysterious atmosphere of the mountain. I had climbed the mountain since about 4 o'clock, so I thought I had plenty of time, but it got dark while I was descending, and I was a little impatient because the mountain also bears out.