Hiking the Miura Peninsula:

When starting out and choosing a hike as a family I’m looking for 4 main components – distance to trail head, ascent and distance being manageable for my youngest but still a challenge for my eldest, points of interest along the way & rest stops.

In this blog, I’m looking at hikes that are 30-60 minute drive from Yokohama/Tokyo all on the Mirua Peninsula.

We love this Peninsula because it has small mountain ranges than span from Kamakura all the way down to Jogashima. The hikes across these mountains vary, but they all offer easy well maintained paths, great views, fun points of interest along the way and an abundance of nature. The mountains are also not so high compared to those in Nikko/Tanzawa/Yamanashi etc, so the accent and descents are manageable for beginners and families.

Mt MiuraFuji – Mt Houdaiyama – Mt Takeyama.

Trail Route: AllTrailRoute

Trail Stats: 7.4Km out and back with an elevation of 313 meters.

Nearest Station: Keikyu-Nagasawa Station

These stats are from Keikyu Nagasawa Station but if you travel by car you can park closer to the Mt MiuraFuji Trail Head which cuts out a good 3.5km and a probably 50-100m elevation.

Hike Overview: This hike is a really fun, introductory hike. There is some elevation giving it a bit of effort, isn’t so high to be a chalenge (especially if you are parking). There is a semi steep ascent at the beginning for about 15 minutes, which is rocky but provided lots of fun for the kids to navigate. After this initial ascent the hike flattens out and is then fairly gradual.

There are a couple of fun interest points along the way – buddha shrine/look outs – and the path is surrounded by thick forest so there are lots of flowers, plants etc to explore. If your kids are like mine they’ll also enjoy the plentiful fallen branches to collect as walking sticks, staffs, swords or whatever their imagination is calling on that day!

It takes roughly 40 minutes to hike to MiuraFuji, then you hike across to Hoidaiyama and then Takeyama, which takes roughly 30 minutes. There are view points and observatory’s at each mountain to stop at offer far reaching views.

Ogusuyama – Maedabashi Course

TrailHead: Maedabashi 

Trail Route: AllTrail Route

Trail Stats: 8.5km out and back. 300m elevation.

These stats are from All trails and start at Tateishi Park so include fairly long walk along the road.

Alternatively if you can find nearby parking, the Maedabashi trailhead starts here, taking about 2km off the overall hike length.

Parking: Tateshi Park

Hike Overview: This Hike follows the river for about half of the route before making an ascent up Ogusuyama. The path does, on a couple of occasions drop down to and across the river. I have only ever hiked this route when the water has been low and slow flowing. I believe it can get a little deeper but usually only calf deep or so. Make sure you wear appropriate footwear.

In warmer weather this is a great hike to take slowly with the kids. There is so much nature and space they can enjoy with freedom to move and explore. My kids love to rock hop across the river and then linger to play with stones and bathe their hot feet in the cool water.

The Hike up to Ogusuyama from the river is not very steep and is well pathed. There is another route to Ogusuyama which includes a steep ascent and lots of steps, so this is definitely my preferred route.

The summit of Ogusuyama is a lovely place to stop. It has an observatory tower offering great views over Sagami Bay and even as far over to Yokohama. There is also plenty of space to stop, rest and each lunch. There are toilet facilities too. The summit can get busy at weekends, but it usually has a lovely vibe with locals cooking up noodles on a stove or sharing out Onigiri.

Koajiro Forest

TrailHead: Koajiro Forest

Trail Route: AllTrail Route

Trail Stats: 4km out and back. 50m elevation.

Parking: You can park at this nearby supermarket

This is an absolute gem of a place and would highly recommend it. We’ve visited twice, both late spring time. Its not so much of a hike, but a trail through a beautiful nature preserve. Its well pathed/board walked but it you a looking for an easy, enjoyable day of walking in nature with the kids, this is the place.

There is an abundance of plant life, butterflies, dragon flies, skaters and bugs to explore.  The end of the trail brings you out at Koariro Bay, where you can stop for lunch and the kids can spend hours watching the dancing crabs along the sandy beach, before heading back through the nature persevere for the return hike.

Morito River Hayama.

TrailHead: Morito River (incidentally this is next to  the ReWildChild Forest Site)

Trail Stats: Roughly 2.5 km out and back.

Nearest Station / Parking: Access details here

Hike Overview: I’m not sure of the name of this trail as its actually a section of a bigger longer mountain hike. But for kids the river path is a great, easy, flat walk. The path meanders around the twists and turns of the Morito River. The trail ends at a large clearing where the hike then spikes off into 3 different mountain directions. From here you turn around and return.

The beauty of this hike is that it is a real nature immersion. Despite the hum of the highway nearby, you can still really disconnect from the city. The path is well maintained but rugged enough to feel the connection to nature. The trail is surrounded by the lushness of the surrounding mountain forests so is full of thick forest canopy and an abundance of flora.

There are a number of opportunities to safety access the riverbed, allowing lots of opportunities for walking or playing in the shallows of the river. There are also lots of stop points along the way, with tree benches along the way for rests.

There are no toilet facilities on this trail, but there is a nearby 7-11 with a restroom

Kamakura Diabatsu Trail

TrailHead: Kamakura Diabatsu Trail

Trail Route: AllTrail Route

Trail Stats: 5km point to point. 150m elevation.

Nearest Station: Kita – Kamakura Station

Parking: Nearby Parking

Hike Overview: This trail is a real mix of nature and culture and is another great one to do as a family. It’s a nice easy trail with lots of points of interest, nature and views.

This hike is 5km point to point, with an elevation of 152m, making it a nice easy trail. The path is well maintained but does still have a rough underfoot with small rocks and tree roots underfoot.

Once on the trailhead, the path takes a moderate ascent up, but within just 20 minutes you reach the first point of interest – Kuzuharaoka shrine. If you have time to linger, this is a nice shrine to explore with a few interesting traditions to learn and take park in. My kids enjoyed the tradition of throwing pot discs to the ground to smash, to ward away bad luck.

We visited in the new Year so there were many stalls selling food and snacks too.

Just by Kuzuharaoka shrine there is a large and pleasant resting point with tables to site and take a snack at. There are also toilets in this area too.

From here you carry on along the trail, passing a number of small detours to other shrines and temples if you wish. We didn’t follow these so I can’t comment of what they are like.

The trail after Kuzuharaoka shrine heads into the forest. The path is well trodden and maintained but can get narrow and bumpy underfoot.

The trails eventually brings you out on the road in Hase, close to Kotoku-in Big Buddha.  If you haven’t visited here yet, this is another wonderful shrine to visit and you can usually enter buddha and climb the stairs to its head. Entry Free for Kotoku-in is Y300.

Of course you can return back to the trail head via the trail course, or Hase station is only a 5 minute walk and from here you can easily return to Kita – Kamakura by train. The walk down to Hase station is beautiful, with the street littered with traditional food stalls, restaurants, souvenirs and cafes. It has a lovely (although busy) vibe, especially at weekends.

However, if your kids have the stamina, the walk from here to the beach is 10 minutes. We often like to grab a picnic from the combini or a vendor and take it down the beach for a picnic, before walking along the beach back towards Kamakura.

What’s next?

I’ll be regularly updating on hike routes we adventure on in Japan, both as a family and myself without my kids.

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