The old demon (Mt Tengu)

Hike date: September 27, 2026

I’d been wondering where to go today until late the previous evening. The forecast for all areas was cloudy and I’d been thinking that light clouds would allow me to head for some Alpine scenery. In the end I correctly figured today would be thick clouds that would envelop mountains and allow little or no views. This led me to choose nearby Mt Tengu, an old favourite named after the mythological demon and which I had climbed dozens of times before. The clouds didn't matter here so much because I have enjoyed Tengu's views on multiple occasions.

Mt Tengu is only 40 minutes drive from my house and in no time I was bumping along the final 3.5-km stretch of unsealed road leading to the trailhead at Karasawa Kosen spring. There were few cars at the sometimes overflowing car park and I was soon heading up through the mossy forest. After an hour or so of walking there’s a section of this mountain that I’ve never liked. It takes about 45 minutes of difficult scrambling across irregular-shaped slippery rocks and even slipperier planks, supposedly helping to cross the rocks. This time I passed the area falling down only once, and I arrived at the Kuroyuri mountain hut in good time. From there it was onto the ridge line with the steep rocky sections that I always enjoy. I noticed some areas near the east peak had collapsed badly and wondered if the trail itself would be in danger if things became much worse. The the east peak I scaled the slightly higher west peak, and was soon heading back to the hut via an alternative route that passed some fascinating volcanic rock formations and the old crater now called Suribachi pond. Mt Tengu never really gives the impression of being a volcanic peak, but this course reveals the mountain’s fiery origins.

The weather was cloudy throughout apart from a 10-minute spell of sunshine, but it was good to get back to a peak that I had climbed so many times, especially in my early hiking days.

Check here for more information about Mt Tengu.

Signs of autumn looking towards west Tengu peak

Pools of unusually coloured water near the trailhead

The trail through the moss forest

Moss everywhere

Difficult footing

Finally onto the ridge line

Views into Yamanashi prefecture

Scrambling up the ridge to the summit

The east peak of Mt Tengu

Rocky road

Made it to the highest point at west Tengu

Now back down via Suribachi pond

Edge of the old volcano crater

Squeeze between the rocks

And back down the slippery slope