Pyramidal Mt. Oyama, One of the Easier Tanzawa Peaks

From the bus stop, you walk up the stone stairs of the shrine approach known as the Koma-sando. It's lined with tea shops serving tofu cuisine, a local specialty, as well as souvenir shops and shukubo temple lodges.

From Oyama Cable Station, proceed down the easier route to the left. After ascending some stone steps, you'll arrive at Aburisan Oyama-dera Temple. Here you can take part in a custom known as "kawarake nage," throwing small ceramic plates from a cliff to ward off misfortune and invite good luck. Keep going up the stone steps from Oyama-dera Temple. It's a steep ascent, but chains and handrails are there to help you along.

After about an hour's hike up from the bus stop, you'll arrive at Oyama-Afuri-jinja Shrine. Pay your respects at the large main hall, and then ascend the stone stairs on the left. You'll soon be on a regular mountain trail.

From there you'll hike through an area of exposed rock faces with large trees like the Meoto-sugi (the husband and wife cedar). You'll arrive at the 16 Chome junction, and from there you'll walk along a ridgeline with occasional wooden staircases and boardwalks. Pass 25 Chome and ascend through the torii gate by the first part of Afuri-jinja Shrine, past the main shrine with its shop and head office and continue hiking until you reach the summit and the shrine's inner sanctum.

Descending from Mt. Oyama's summit, you'll pass through broad leaf forest and a wooden staircase through a shrub zone. After about an hour you'll reach a lookout platform. It has plenty of benches and is a good spot for a rest.

The fabulous view includes the lower Afuri-jinja Shrine (Afuri-jinja Shimosha) and Mt. Oyama's Mt. Mitsumine (Mitsumine-yama) with its distinctive appearance. The gentle descent from the lookout passes through a conifer forest belt.

Once you're past Niju Falls (Niju -taki), in about 30 minutes you'll arrive back at the lower Afuri-jinja Shrine. You can use the cable car to descend from there.