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A Mitosan Loop from Tomin no Mori | The 33 m Waterfall and Old Beech Forest, on a Beginner-Friendly Trail

2024.05.26

"Is there anywhere inside Tokyo where a beginner can walk comfortably and still feel like they've been on a real mountain?" If that's your question, the first place I'd send you is Mitosan (1,531 m) in Hinohara Village, in the Okutama area. This time I walked the loop that starts from Tomin no Mori — the Tokyo Citizens' Forest — taking in the Mito Otaki waterfall and the beech woods.

Below is the route as I walked it, with how the day flows, the highlights, the difficulty, access, and what I wore. It was late May, the new green was almost too bright, and there were deer waiting in the car park. A very good day.

Route overview (Tomin no Mori loop)

• Area: Mitosan, in the Okutama region (Hinohara Village, Tokyo)
• Elevation: 1,531 m. Mitosan appears on both the 300 Famous Japanese Mountains and the 100 Mountains of Flowers lists
• Route: Tomin no Mori → Forest Therapy Road → Mito Otaki → the Beech Trail → Mushikari Pass → Mitosan summit → Saiguchi Pass → Tomin no Mori (loop)
• Main section: the Beech Trail runs about 5.4 km
• Access: Bus from JR Musashi-Itsukaichi Station, or drive to the Tomin no Mori car park
• Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ (beginner). Signposting is excellent, so route-finding worries are minimal — a good place to start hiking

What makes this loop is how much it changes. It opens with a soft wood-chip walking path, gives you a 33-metre waterfall, then puts you into deep old-growth beech forest. You'd hardly believe it's one mountain, and it never gets dull.

Starting from Tomin no Mori — deer, and the Forest Therapy Road

Arriving at Tomin no Mori, I was surprised to find deer standing in the car park. They come down for the new shoots, apparently — a very peaceful scene to begin with. You're already high up here, and the air alone tells you this is going to be a relaxed day.

The first section, from the entrance of Tomin no Mori to Mito Otaki, is a walking path called the Forest Therapy Road. It's surfaced with wood chips, which smell good, feel soft underfoot, and are kind to knees and ankles. The green closing in around you does something to both body and mind. There's a shelter along the way, so you can stop and take the surroundings in slowly.

A few minutes in you pass through a gate in the fencing that protects the plants from deer. Remember to close it behind you. You've walked barely five minutes and you already feel high up — that's the advantage of starting from this elevation.

Don't miss the enormous fir tree along here, the largest on the route. It's thick and tall enough to look like a Christmas tree from a picture book. There are clear signs at every junction, so even when you start down the wrong branch you're corrected almost immediately. That thoroughness is genuinely valuable when you're new to this.

The highlight — Mito Otaki, a 33-metre waterfall

As you continue along the Forest Therapy Road the sound of water grows. What appears is the first big moment of the route: Mito Otaki. A substantial bridge, Takimibashi, crosses directly in front of it, so you can stand and take in the whole fall at leisure.

It drops about 33 metres. Standing close, the sound of it goes right through you, and I stopped without meaning to. I'm usually impatient — always on to the next thing — and in front of that waterfall I remembered how good it is to just watch water move. Slowing down and letting the place carry you is exactly what this route offers.

Through old beech forest to Mushikari Pass

Past Mito Otaki the trail starts to feel properly like a mountain path. The section from here to Mushikari Pass runs through magnificent old-growth beech forest, and it's about as good as forest bathing gets. The sign warns that the Beech Trail is tiring, which put me on guard, but in practice the dappled light and the new leaves were so pleasant that I mostly wanted to breathe deeply. Reckon on about an hour and a half from the waterfall to the pass.

This was where I used trekking poles for the first time. I was sceptical about how much difference they could make, and in fact they let me find a rhythm and made each step upward noticeably lighter. Beginners in particular should get used to them on a well-maintained trail like this one — they'll be a real ally on your next step up.

Beyond the beeches there are streams and more soft green the whole way, easy on both eyes and ears. With signs at every junction, I could walk confidently even while consulting the map.

The summit, then down via Saiguchi Pass

From Mushikari Pass it's on to the summit of Mitosan. The name means "three-headed mountain," from its West, Central and East peaks; the Central peak is the high point at 1,531 m. On a clear day you can see Mount Fuji from the West peak, which is part of why this is one of Okutama's most popular mountains. Climbing the beech-covered ridge step by step and standing on top felt very good indeed.

Rather than retracing my steps, I took the loop down via Saiguchi Pass back to Tomin no Mori. Descending a different trail keeps the scenery changing all the way to the end. That's the great advantage of a loop: nothing repeats. By the time I was back at Tomin no Mori I felt properly, satisfyingly walked out.

What I wore and carried (late May, low mountain)

For reference, here's what I had with me. Late May, new green, warm enough to sweat — so a light setup.

• Hat: Montbell, the Japanese outdoor brand
• Top: a Montbell UV-blocking layer. Dry-feeling and reasonably comfortable even once I'd sweated in it
• Pants: The North Face
• Socks: Montbell merino wool. Soft against the foot and resistant to getting clammy, which is why I keep buying them
• Boots: HI-TEC, the British brand. Light and easy to walk in
• Water: about 1.5 litres
• Snacks: gummies, chocolate, biscuits, ramune candy. Almost entirely sugar, which is slightly embarrassing to admit, and also one of the pleasures of a day like this

One small habit: I decant snacks into a single ziplock bag rather than carrying them individually wrapped. It keeps loose wrappers from escaping on the mountain and packs down smaller — two birds. Please copy it, for the sake of the place. And although it's May, this is a mountain with some height to it, so a thin extra layer is worth having.

What I'd tell you about Mitosan

Mitosan sits within reach of central Tokyo and still gives you a wood-chip forest path, a 33-metre waterfall and old-growth beech woods — the satisfaction of several mountains in one walk. The signage is careful and there's no chained or steep rock, which makes it exactly right for a beginner ready to step up from the smallest hills.

If you're undecided, aim for the fresh green of spring or the autumn colour. The Forest Therapy Road earns its name, and the time you spend on it genuinely loosens something. Pick up a pair of trekking poles and take the loop from Tomin no Mori up Mitosan. It deserves a place on your list of weekends.

🛒 See the gear I use in the video as a list → Packing list for your first low-mountain hike

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