But first, when you arrive at the tomin no mori area you'll find a souvenir shop selling local products. This is the last shop you get to before the hike so if you're hungry you might want to try out some of the food they sell.

After a few minutes of walking from the parking lot area there is a building called the shinrinkan (森林館) where visitors among other things can find information about the wildlife and flora in the area.



During the Edo period Mt. Mito was kept off limits to the public, and thanks to this you can find a wide range of large beech trees covering the mountain. This might have contributed to Mt. Mito's particularly varied flora with both rare plants and birds to be seen in the woods.

And don't despair if you didn't bring any hiking booths; At the Shinrinkan they have mountain boots available for rental. They also kindly offer maps of the area in foreign languages like English, Korean and Chinese.


For those who are looking for activities to do beside the hiking there is an area outside the Shinrinkan where visitors can try to use a saw to cut up logs, and you're even free to take the pieces of wood with you home.

For those with kids there are some playground equipment that they can enjoy.

In other words; lots of potential activities in addition to just the hike! When you're ready for the hike you can head for the pathway behind the building to the left of the mountain.


Above: On Mt. Mito you can see a number of birdwatchers who are out to spot some of the mountain's rare birds.

The first sight you'll get to is the Mito Otaki Waterfall, which you'll get to after around 25 minutes of walking. There is a suspension bridge leading to nowhere that has been made just for the sole purpose of getting a good view of the waterfall, so if you want to you can take the opportunity to walk out on it and take a closer look before heading back to the main path.

For the rest of the hike you'll pass by a couple of resting spots before reaching the summit of Mt. Mito. The trail is properly marked so it is easy finding the way, and there are not too many visitors either compared to more popular mountains.


Arriving at the summit of Mt. Mito you'll find - if you're lucky with the weather - a pretty spectacular view of Mt. Fuji. I recommend starting the hike early to increase your chances of seeing Mt. Fuji more clearly as it often gets increasingly clouded throughout the afternoon due to the heat from the earth.

Getting up to the summit took us around 1 1/2 hours and it was not a too tough hike. We had a lunch break on the top (again, make sure to bring your own lunch as there are no places to buy food at the summit) before heading back down again.

Above: On the way down you'll also pass by a couple of lookouts where you can enjoy the view of the nearby mountains.

Mt. Mito was a good alternative for a one-day hike from Tokyo. It is great to get out of the city and do some shinrinyoku (森林浴; lit. forest bathing) from time to time to release some stress! After the hike was over we visited a local onsen, which I would recommend as an addition to your hike if you have time (and preferably a car to get around). Hiking Mt. Mito was a great way to spend the day, and hopefully we'll get the chance to visit again soon.

See also: 

All Tokyo Hotel Reviews

Tokyo's 10 best-rated hotels 2017

Tokyo Hotel Special: 20 Grand Opening Hotels 2016 - 2017

Japan's Top 10 Traditional Ryokan Hotels

Top 10 Fancy Tokyo Budget Hotels

Kyoto & Osaka Hotel Special: 20 Grand Opening Hotels 2016-2017

Recently my friend and colleague asked me to do a photo shoot for his page Joe Photography. I wanted to do something different, so I asked him to do a shooting with the blooming sakura (cherry blossoms) and my bunad. It is common for Norwegians to get a bunad for their coming of age ceremony, and I have had mine since I was 12 years old. This particular design is from my home town Bergen, and it brings back found memories of my childhood.

See also: Top Tokyo Hotels to Enjoy the Cherry Blossom season

Shiba park was a great place to take photos thanks to the many beautiful cherry trees. The temperature was finally starting to get closer to spring and lot of people were in the park to enjoy the view of the flowers and to do hanami. The park had a very cozy atmosphere, and it would be nice to come back here next year when the cherry blossoms are in bloom again to hang out with friends in the park..

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