Mt. Tsurumi – Hiking the Volcano in Ōita

Hiking in Japan is a spiritual path. Never an exercise only for the body, but for the mind.
And, as everywhere, it always feels so good to get to the top of a mountain.
This time, I was searching for my inner peace at Mt. Tsurumi.

At times, it was a struggle. I mean the climbing part too. I questioned myself for going without a proper map, warm clothing, and snacks. What could go wrong?
Well, anything and everything, but luckily it didn’t.
I again stupidly tested the limits, but found my path and maybe my inner peace, hiked all the way, and soaked in my hostel’s small but hot onsen afterwards.

From the top of Mt. Tsurumi, there are spectacular views over the Beppu town and towards the sea.
But you don’t have to hike to see this. At all. There is a much easier way to do this, though it’s not my cup of matcha.

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Mt. Tsurumi
鶴見岳

This 1375-meter-high mountain, Mt. Tsurumi, is located in Oita Prefecture in Japan, near the onsen town of Beppu.
Mt. Tsurumi is a volcano that provides all the hot mineral water for the Beppu spas.
It’s also part of Aso-Kuju National Park (阿蘇くじゅう国立公園 or Aso-Kujū Kokuritsukōen in Japanese).

Bad luck seemed to be following me on these trails of Kyushu Island. I had plans to hike several mountains on this 3-month trip to Japan, but…
As Most of the mountains (fells, hills, and any rocks) in this country are volcanoes, they all seemed to be planning an eruption by the time I got to their roots.
I refused to give up, and it worked; Mount Tsurumi was finally the one to accept me on her side.

Path that starts and ends at the parking lot

The path was supposed to start somewhere by the… ummm… parking lot. I’m not kidding: The hiking trail starts somewhere by the parking lot. It makes sense, right?
My problem was to arrive on foot (from the bus stop). There were two separate parking lots, which wouldn’t be much of a problem, unless they led to two different trails.

I somehow managed to find the right path with the help of some random Japanese folks parking on that lot. Honestly, they were much more proficient in English than in finding that old path through the forest. With my very limited Japanese language skills, that was a blessing. Wait, what?
I mean, if they had known the path, but didn’t speak English… Okay, you know what I’m after here.

I met only three other hikers on the trail, so most people probably choose the easiest route. The easiest route? Yes, there is a very easy one, I’ll tell you a bit later.

Packing list for short dayhikes in the mountains

Sometimes I wished there were other people, as I was uncertain of the directions.
I had a simple hand-drawn map that a local person had given me in Beppu. I had no data on my phone. Neither did I have proper clothing and food with me. I’m a pretty keen hiker, but I sometimes take stupid risks and lightly think hiking some small mountain is a walk in the park.

Don’t be stupid like me! You might get lost or hurt even on an easy trail.
A simple checklist: Always wear sturdy shoes/hiking boots, pack warm clothing, a phone with data, a map, food, water, and a flashlight (torch for some of you). More rules: Tell someone where you are going and when they can expect you to return. Start early, as we often underestimate the time we need, and we want to return before sunset.

We have to keep going, as we don’t want the darkness to fall before getting back down from the mountain. Sorry to keep you waiting!

Follow the moss-covered stairs to reach Mt. Tsurumi

There it is, the right path! At least I wish it were. How would I know? I’d know at the end. Towards it is!
On the left side of the street were old, mossy stone steps leading into the forest. It looked so intriguing!

All the signs were in Japanese, so I wasn’t always sure which way to choose, but I tried to guess which path led towards the mountain.
At the end, they all probably lead there. At least I took one side track on purpose, and it led me to a beautiful view only a couple of hundred meters off the main trail. That was a dead-end, so it was easy to get back on track. The sign in Japanese may well have said that, but as I didn’t know how to read it, I just walked out of curiosity to see what was there.

Mount Tsurumi is an object of religious devotion. You will see a shrine at the beginning of the trail, and then follow the path through the forest.
In addition to the Tsurumi Sanjo Gongen Ichinomiya Shrine, there are statues of shichi-fuku-jin (Seven Gods of Fortune), as well as Buddha and Shinto gods along the way.

Calming Japanese forests

If you’d asked me what slow travel is, this is it.
Listen, inhale.

I stopped to listen. What was that sound? I continued walking, then heard it again. Was it my shoes breaking dry branches on the ground, or is there someone with me in the forest?
I see someone walking towards me. An elderly woman with a walking stick passes me.
She looks at me with a smile: “Bambi”.

One word only, and she is gone.
I continue further. Then I see it.
I see them. Maybe a dozen of them!

The deer are screaming; they fear me and inform their friends. I stand still and let them lope away.
It has happened again; Japanese deer have amazed me already on my first trip to Japan, a long time ago.
I know I’m on the right path, in many ways.

Almost there, almost there, oh shit

I keep going too, it’s time to rise. The trail isn’t too demanding, but it’s already quite late afternoon. The sun is getting low, and I feel the air getting cooler. I still have one volcano to climb. Anyone who has summited any mountains knows the feeling; up and up you go, and it looks like you are almost at the top.
But no, there is again a new ridge to climb. And the next one is even steeper than the one you just tackled.
Why didn’t I bring a jacket? Or a pack of salted peanuts. Stop whining, keep climbing.

Top feeling

And there it is: The summit. The views are amazing! Beppu city isn’t visible; I’m not on that side yet, but the nearby mountains are.
– Is that Aso, the volcano I had planned hiking before it decided to erupt?

The top, the top feeling! I take a selfie with the 1375 m sign.
Brrr, it’s really getting cold and windy. It’s time to start descending.

I stop for the fantastic views over Beppu city, or precisely: its lights. The sea is barely visible anymore.
I hit the road. The last leg of this journey is a winding road down to the upper ropeway station.

A young couple is standing on the station platform, looking at the views through binoculars. She is wearing high heels. I feel stupid again.
It would have been this easy. But I wasn’t looking for easy.

How to get back down to the city

I ride the ropeway down. Just a short ten minutes, and I’m at the parking lot. The one mentioned in many articles that share instructions for the Mt. Tsurumi hike.
I’m shivering and waiting for the bus back to Beppu city. It should be running 1-2 times an hour, but there’s no bus in sight after a long wait.
I hope it hasn’t stopped running for tonight.

Japan happens again.
I’m not alone. There is a man at the bus stop, and he starts speaking to me.
I understand him saying “nana” seven. It’s a half-hour wait until 7 pm.
He leaves for the vending machine nearby and soon returns with a cup of coffee – for me. To warm my hands.
On the trail, I had wondered how to warm my freezing fingers.
They always know, as they are taught to put other people before themselves.

Feeling
that someone is
always near

to protect
to help
That’s Japan

The easiest route to Mt. Tsurumi

Most websites say the trail begins at the Beppu Ropeway Station, but that’s not actually correct information if you want to hike the entire mountain.