Tired of the concrete environment of Tokyo? Wish you could go see some green?
I recommend going to a cave if you feel like you just can’t beat the heat. Luckily Okutama has some pretty good ones.
If caves aren’t what you are looking for you can scroll down for some descriptions of different walking trails you can take.
Otake Limestone Caves
http://www.gotokyo.org/data/en/smartphone-spot?page-id=33515&PHPSESSID=p8uvlneipahb87bk4f54u011j6
300 meters of limestone cave to explore!
Admission: 500 yen
Hours: 9:00 to 17:00
Nippara Limestone Caves
http://www.nippara.com/nippara/syounyuudou/syounyuudou.html （Japanese)
Also 300 meters of cave to explore here. It has a history of being a pilgrimage spot for travelers seeking purification.
Admission: 700 yen
Hours: 4/1～11/30 8:00-17:00
12/1～3/31 8:30-16:30
Address: 〒198-0211 東京都西多摩郡奥多摩町日原１０５２
Take the bus board for the limestone caves…But it is probably wiser to attempt to come by car because it is really in the middle of nowhere.
I went to Nippara Caves and I highly recommend them.
The town where the parking lot is to leave your car. It was about a 15 minute walk to the caves.
Inside the caves. As you can imagine, they were very cool and comfortable. Japan gets uncomfortably hot and humid.
All of those silver glittery circles are coins. They are offerings for this little shrine that was inside the caves.
The area around Nippara. Okutama is pretty much all mountains, river, and wildlife like this.
Walking Trails
All of them can be viewed here: http://www.okutama.gr.jp/
Unfortunately, they are all in Japanese! Be aware that the trails can have unexpected closures due to weather conditions and damage to trails. There is a visitor center right near Okutama Station where you can check the trail conditions.
FUREAI SHINRINYOKU ROUTE
40 min-2 hrs
The first walking course listed on the site starts at the JR Okutama Station and goes up the Nippara River, through some forest and goes down the Tama River and across it into more wooded areas.
MIHARASHI NO OKA ROUTE
1-2 hrs
CURRENTLY UNDERGOING REPAIRS
This route takes you up to a scenic area where you can view the Okutama Lake.
OTAMA WALKING TRAIL
2.5 hrs
SOME PARTS UNDER REPAIR
Start at Kori Station and follow the trail down the river. You get to enjoy views of the Hatonosu Gorge and the Shiromaru Dam. The course ends at Shiromaru Station.
