Mount Kintoki「Also known as Mt. Ashigara」 (金時山）1,212m
Mount Kintoki beneath Fuji-san. Photo taken from Myojingatake by Marc Wilkinson, 2020.
Mount Kintoki might very well be my favourite day hike in Japan. Sitting on the outer rim of the Hakone caldera, this prominent peak is the perfect hike for beginners and experts alike. I first discovered it in early 2016. A year after a grand adventure on Mt. Kita with my friend Evgeny, we both decided to meet up and try out this day hike. The standard course takes you from Kintoki shrine, past a giant boulder, through a steep forest trail, up a tall stairway, over some rocks, and finally to the summit. Near the top there are multiple paths which can either take you towards the Otome pass or a two hour trail towards Mt. Myojingatake. The trail to the top can take anywhere from 75 minutes (my personal best) to over 2 hours.
View from the top of Mt Kintoki
There is a small deception about 30~40 minutes before reaching the top, and this is a sign below a steep stairway which says "Only 20 minutes to the top!", and even one day, I challenged that time, and without a single break it still took me 25 minutes, so I've dubbed it the "sign of lies!" A bit further up there is a rocky area with a rope, from there you're about 5~10 minutes from the top. Once you finally push yourself over that last section and reach the summit, the most amazing part of the jarring and astonishing view of Mount Fuji. Hidden out of view the entire hike, it lives up to its iconic image of Japanese splendor.
In addition to the exciting course and the stunning views, the real icing on the cake is the friendly service at from the cafe/rest house at the summit. During my first visit, they let my friend and I wear Kintaro aprons and battle each other with fake axes. There is a lovely older lady who always provides some friendly conversation. But don't let age fool you, one day after I said goodbye to the shopkeeper, hiked fast down to the bottom and there she was outside of the convenience store. Knowing of no shortcuts, my only conclusion is that she is Kintaro's magical mother (or perhaps there is another route I may have overlooked).
Also, this rest house records the names of everyone who climbs the mountain. If you hike it over 100 times, you get your name on the wall. As of this date, I've climbed Mt Kintoki 10 times (several times by myself, twice with a colleague, and once with my cousin and friends), so, only 90 trips to go!
The "Hatsu-hinode" tradition
Starting around 2013 with a hilarious trip up Mt. Takao, I try each year is to see the first sunrise of the new year, a little tradition called Hatsu-hinode. As everyone knows, 2020 was not the nicest year. In fact, it started off on the wrong foot long before COVID-19 took over. Although I did get up before the sun, the weather that morning was heavily overcast, and I didn't get to any mountain. So when I saw that they were calling for clear skies on January 1st 2021, I knew I had to make it a view worth remembering. I wanted to capture the greatest sunrise photo, and I knew exactly where that was going to be.
The dark night roads of Hakone
While working at the hotel in Hakone, I had worked one of the busiest shifts on New Years Eve, and got home around 10:45pm. I immediately went to be because I knew I would have to be up in less than five hours. I left my apartment at 3:15am. There were no taxis running in Hakone at that unholy hour, so my only option was to walk from my apartment all along the windy route 138 backroad, until I reached Sengokuhara, passing by the glass museum, and finally to Kintoki Shrine. Although it should've felt unsettling, I spent the whole journey talking to my friend Bowie in Canada, and due to the time difference had just finished a New Years Eve lunch. My biggest concern was taking too long to reach the bottom of the mountain. The sun was expected to rise over the mountaintop at 6:50am, and I had 2 hours of highway followed by an entire mountain course to climb.
Night climb up a frozen mountain
I reached the base of Mt. Kintoki at around 5:20am, so I had 90 minutes to make it to the top. This normally wouldn't be any concern, however I had just walked for over two hours along a highway while carrying a heavy backpack with all my camera gear, all the while I was running on less than five hours of sleep. My other concern was the risks of hiking a mountain alone in complete darkness. To my surprise however, I found many other climbers along the trail, and with our combined headlamps as well as the full moon shining brightly through the trees, it wasn't so worrisome anymore. As I neared the final clearing above the last wooden staircase, I could see the sun sneaking its way towards the horizon. I pushed forward, hardly taking a moment for a break.
That Amazing moment, captured.
I reached the summit to find a small crowd of hikers who had come there to take a "hatsu-hinode" challenge. Although I had been completely oblivious to this event, since I made it to the top before the sun had risen, I was awarded with a cool wooden commemoration.
My next challenge was setting up my camera to record that beautiful sunrise over Mount Fuji. Although the sky was as clear as it could be, the winter winds cut through my bare hands as I set up the tripod and lens. As I began to record, I realized my next challenge was to protect the camera from the high winds (as well as an clueless NPC like character who almost walked in front of the lens several times).
And then it happened - the first rays of sunlight began to shine through the trees and light up Mount Fuji with an awesome golden glow. At the same time, the full moon centred itself directly over the top of the mountain - and I had achieved that glorious timelapse video and photograph.
It was an otherworldly scene
After slowly disassembling my camera with my frozen fingertips, I hid away inside the rest hut and was welcomed by many locals who were also warming around the stove.
I held on to a cup of amazake and a bowl of warm red bean soup for a good 10 minutes to let my fingers thaw, before finally enjoying the meal. Some of the locals offered some rice cakes and sake. I had a small sip, and then proceeded to climb down. By around 10am I was back at my apartment and had a well earned New Year's nap.
They say it is lucky to see a New Years Fuji, a golden sunrise Fuji, and a Pearl Fuji (when the moon is over the top). Well, I experienced all 3 at the same time. So hopefully it will bring some luck to my year.
Sunrise over Mt. Fuji. January 1st, 2021. Photo by Marc Wilkinson
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