Mt. Takaotori

HIKE DESTINATION
Matsuzaki (a few km south of Dogashima, western Izu Hanto)
TRANSPORT DETAILS
Saturday:

• Train from Tsukuba (Arakawaoki) - 6:50 D - to Tokyo Eki.
• Train to Atami - 8:48 D, 10:40 A. Train to Shimoda - 10:43 D, 12:26 A.
  (better to take an earlier train in Tokyo in order to have more time for the connection at Atami. Also, beware of timetable changes on weekends !)
• Bus from Shimoda to Dogashima via Matsuzaki. Buses run every hour or so, and take about 1 hour.
  Sunday:
• Bus from Youth Hostel Mae near Matsuzaki to Matsuzaki - about 10 minutes.
• Bus from Matsuzaki to Kumomi (start and end of hike) - about 30 minutes. Bus from Kumomi to Matsuzaki (runs every 40-50 min or so), then another bus to Shimoda (runs every hour or so), and the train journey in reverse direction (lots of trains to chose from..).
  So, one way from the 7/11 carpark to Matsuzaki takes about 7 hours (without lunch break...).
  MAPS/GUIDEBOOKS
  Low resolution map of Izu-hanto. Walk guide book (Japanese) describing the hike on Takatori-yama.
  HIKE DESCRIPTION:
  3 hours return maximum. One third is on a small road. The other two-thirds are on a hill track in fairly good condition, although very slippery in wet weather ! Nice views of Mt Fuji (if the weather is OK) and of the coastline in several spots along the walk. At the end of the road, small ofuro with views of Fujisan (looked nice, but didn't try...). Fairly easy walking, which could be suitable for children in DRY conditions.
  P.S. Near the start of the walk, nice-looking camp site with views of the coast. Could be a good spot to stay in summer...
  ACCOMMODATION DETAILS
  Youth Hostel near Matsuzaki. Standard price (about 4000 yen), including dinner and breakfast. Details in Lonely Planet.
  ONSEN DETAILS
  Lots of onsens in the area ! Some people tried one in Dogashima located almost right in the ocean. In Matsuzaki, went to a large onsen (on a hill, about 15 min on foot from the bus station) which was pretty good. 1000 yen/person.

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS
14

WEATHER
Very wet

OTHER COMMENTS
This walk would be better suited for winter, when the weather is usually dry. The temperatures in Izu are generally higher than in Tsukuba. Perhaps other, more rewarding walks would be better considering the time spent in transport.