Mount Tsukuba is one of the tallest mountains after Mt. Fuji, located at Tsukuba, Ibaraki. This mountain is been worshipped since ancient times. Tskubasan is mainly famous for its double peaks, which are Mt. Nantai (871 meters) and Mt. Nyotai (877 meters). Hiking Mount Tsukuba is perfect choice for weekend family trips and trekkers with difficulty level 1~2.
There is an old saying which referred tallest mountains in Japan as
Nishi no Fuji, Higashi no Tsukuba (西のふじ、東のつくば),
or Mount Fuji to the west and Mount Tsukuba to the east.
From geological standpoint, majority of Japanese mountains are composed of lava, however Mt. Tsukuba is different and mainly contains granites and gabbros. One notable site on the twin summits is a famous toad-shaped rock, called Gama-ishi (Toad Rock), whose froggy formation is simply a big chunk of weathered gabbro.
Best Time to Visit Mount Tsukuba
I live close to Tsukuba, so I can view double peak everyday from my balcony. That’s the reason I waited for best season to go to Tsukubasan for almost a year.
I planned to go there during cherry blossom or autumn. In Cheery blossom season (Mid March to Mid April), riding on cable car to Mount Tsukuba is breathtaking view and for sure a gem for landscape photographers.
I visited in the late November when autumn was almost over but still views and treks were so refreshing.
You can visit Mount Tsukuba anytime in a year and can enjoy different views of nature. Make sure in the winter (late December), it gets little colder at the top, so you should carry winter clothes along with you.
On New year’s day which is considered auspicious in Japan to see sunrise from the peak of Mountain, Mount Tsukuba can be good option. On New year’s day, buses from Tsukuba station starts early, so you can reach at the peak before sunrise as well.
Make sure to check the official website (Mount Tsukuba Official Website (EN | JP | CS | CT | KO ) for latest information.
How to Get There
As I mentioned, I live near to Tsukuba. I took a bus from JR Tsuchiura Station to reach Tsukuba Centre Bus station and from there took another bus to Mount Tsukuba ( Bus Stop No. 1).
If you are planning to go from Tokyo to Mount Tsukuba,
Option 1: Take Train form Tokyo Station to Akihabara Station and then Take Tsukuba express (TX). It will take approx 45 mins and cost 1210 yen. (Tip: Don’t forget to add Akihabara to your itinerary, it’s tech, game and electronic place of Tokyo.)
Option 2: Take highway bus from Tokyo station at Yaesu-South entrance to Tsukuba Centre Bus Station. It will take approx 60 minutes (depends on traffic) and cost 1180 yen.
With both the options above, further you need to take Kanto bus shuttle from Tsukuba Centre bus station at bus stop number one to Tsukubasan ( Tsukubasan Shrine Or Tsutsujigaoka Bus Stop). Check out Japan beautiful trains and stations.
Route to Mt. Tsukuba Peak
Again you have multiple choices based on interest and traffic condition.
Even though it is a double peak mountain, you can cover both in 1 trip. There are 3 options to reach to the mountain peaks,
Option 1: Get down at Tsukuba Shrine Entrance Bus Stop ( 筑波山神社入口 ) and walk for approx 10-15 mins to reach Tsukuba Cable Car station (Miyawaki Station), hike to Mt. Nantai first, come back and then hike to Mt. Nyotai and head back to Tsutsujigaoka Bus stop with Mt. Tsukuba Ropeway.
Option 2: Get down at Tsutsujigaoka bus stop (last bus stop), take ropeway to Mt. Tsukuba ropeway, trek to Mt. Nyotai, come back and trek to Mt. Nantai and in return take cable car and reach to Shrine Entrance bus top after 10 minutes walk.
I wanted to take option-2 but due to the traffic, we decided to drop off at Tsukuba Shrine Entrance Bus Stop and selected option-1.
About Mount Tsukuba Cable Car and Ropeway
Tsukuba Cable car, which is by the way fifth oldest cable card in Japan and cover 1634 meters in 8 minutes and cost 590 yen for one-way or 1070 yen for round trip.
Mount Tsukuba Ropeway (since 1965) which covers 1296 meters in 6 minutes and from Mountain top to to Tsutsujigaoka bus station. It cost 630 yen one-way or 1120 for round trip.
Mount Tsukuba Map for Trekking
Let’s consider you choose option-1 and get down at cable car station. From there, you can choose trail to go to the main shrine of Mt. Nantai and comes back. It is a completely rocky trail though can be hiked by beginner as well. It will take around 60-120 minutes.
Now take a break and have food near cable car station ( there are lots of food stalls here). Rice dumpling with soy sauce is very famous here, though I didn’t like much but I heard it is very good.
Then you can trek towards the second peak which is Mt. Nyotai. Here terrain is more easy mostly rock shaped stairs. It will take around 100-150 minutes.
View from the main shrine of Mt. Nyotai is stunning, you can see Kanto region from the top. There are couple of photography points on the way as well. If you like landscape photography, you should try this points.
From there, move towards Mount Tsukuba Ropeway station and reach Tsutsujigaoka bus station.
Important Point to Remember
- The last bus from Mount Tsukuba Shrine to the Tsukuba Centre Bus Terminal departs at 5:10 pm so I recommend to take cable car by 4:00 pm from summit station.
- Temperature might drop in elevation, so please be prepared in winter. During hot summer months please carry liquid with you.
- Tripod is now allowed at some places, so please check the sign and respect the guidelines.
- Check out Ibaraki official travel (EN | JP | KO | THAI | RU ) website for latest news.
