An afternoon hike up Mount Byobu in Hakone

My first hike on our three-week Japan trip around Honshu, the trek up to Mount Byobu 屛風山 in Hakone wasn’t a planned hike. More of an opportunistic walk to stretch the legs and hopefully get a good view of Mount Fuji… Mount Byobu forms part of the outer crater rim of Mt Hakone and rises above Lake Ashi (Ashinoko). It’s a very short walk from our hotel to the signposted start of the hike

There’s a warning sign about bears: Japanese Black Bears can be found all over the main island of Honshu, and while attacks are relatively rare, many Japanese hikers attach little bear bells to their backpack. The trail immediately starts to ascend.

After about 400m, the trail starts getting very steep, with a series of timber steps up the mountain.

After another 400m or so of climbing, the trail levels out and it’s a very pleasant hike through the shaded forest.

There’s a small dip as the trail crosses a small saddle just below the top of Mount Byobu.

I’m soon at the “peak” of Mount Byobu at 948m above sea level, which is about 220m above Lake Ashi. There’s a nice signpost – but no views.

With dense foliage covering the entire mountain, the best Mount Fuji view I can get is a glimpse through the trees as I head back down the trail.

Despite the lack of views, it’s been a very enjoyable hike – although there are much nicer ones you can do in the area, such as Chisuji Falls to Mount Takanosu which I do on the following day.

Getting to Mount Byobu

You can reach Mt Byobu from the east or the west side; the quickest route as described here starts near Hakone Checkpoint on the main road. It’s a short walk from the Hakonemachi-ko bus stop.