Miyagino Bridge – Mt. Myojo – Mt. Myojin – Miyagino Bridge Time: 4.5 hours
This hiking trail takes you up the eastern ridge of the Hakone crater. You can get good views of Mt. Fuji, the steaming vents of Owakudani, the Hakone Valley, and see the variety of nature in Hakone. This trail connects with others and can be adapted to make it longer or more challenging.
To reach the Mt. Myojo trailhead take the road up the slope on the north-east side of Miyagino bridge. Make your first right and continue walking for 5 minutes and make a left up the slope after the retirement home. The road will climb and become gravel, but you should see the trailhead soon.
The trail to the top of Mt. Myojo is a bit steep and takes you about 70 minutes through dense forest to the top. Although difficult to see while climbing, on the side of Mt. Myojo is the Japanese character 大 written into the mountain spanning more than 100m across. This character is lit by fire during the Japanese Obon celebration in summer. During Obon it is believed that the souls of our ancestors come back to visit us. The Japanese character is lit to guide the souls back after the holiday.
Many trails are connected in the Hakone area, when you get to the top of Mt. Myojo go left to continue the trail to Mt. Myojin (45m). This trail will also lead you to Mt. Kintoki (75m). While walking along the crest of the mountain there will be good views of Owakudani to your left and Mt. Fuji ahead of you. You are now walking along the weathered walls of an ancient volcano that erupted between 230,000 – 630,000 years ago. The central mountains within the caldera, like Owakudani and Mt. Kamiyama were formed about 60,000 years ago. You can also take a right at the top of Mt. Myojo and head east and down a trail that will lead you to the Yumoto area.
