Climb Mt. Buko (武甲山)

Mt. Buko is about two hours drive from Tokyo. Alternatively, you could take the train to Chichibu's Yokoze Station 横瀬駅 and take a longer walk to the foot of the mountain (we drove from Tokyo). From the Mt. Buko parking lot the route is very simple and easy to follow. There is a well-marked map at the trail head that is in Japnese, but it is pretty easy to make sense of. Your starting elevation is 518m and the peak is at 1304m. There are bathrooms at the start, and some at the top (although the ones on top were locked when we were there).

The shortest route is to do a simple out and back which takes about 2hrs up and 1hr down. There are also loop options to make it a longer route. The route is well marked with stone markers every 100m or so and there is no confusing turn offs. At almost 2km in there is a place to fill up on water from a stream, this is your last chance to get water. At halfway up with 300m climb left to go or so there is a nice resting point underneath a particularly large cedar. At the top, there is a small, pretty Japanese shrine and plenty of shady spots for group picnics.

This isn't a hike for spectacular vista views, but the forest is beautiful and provides a nice, easy escape from Tokyo for people of all fitness levels. There is a hot spring back in Chichibu town that you can go to after the hike!