Mt. Kongo Day Hike from Osaka: Chihaya Hondo Trail, Buses, Parking and Safety Warnings

This guide is based on information from Chihayaakasaka Village, Osaka Prefecture, Tondabayashi City and Nankai Bus, checked October 24, 2026. Bus times and fares change, so check the operators before you go.

Mt. Kongo (1,125 m) sits on the border of Osaka and Nara prefectures; the summit area is in Nara. Chihayaakasaka Village says the summit is about an hour from the trailhead on a well-maintained trail, and that in winter many people come for the snow and rime ice. A live camera at the summit streams continuously and takes a still every 10 minutes, handy for checking snow.

Safety first: stay on the marked trails

Chihayaakasaka Village warns that falls are frequent on Mt. Kongo, and that fatal falls and other accidents keep happening in the Tsutsujio valley (Tsutsujio-dani), which is outside the recommended courses. Use only the trails shown on the village's course map. Other areas risk falls and are private land that you may not enter without the owner's permission.

Source: Chihayaakasaka Village: Mt. Kongo (Japanese) (course map PDF on the page)

Routes

Chihaya Hondo (the standard trail)

The most popular way up starts at the Kongo Tozanguchi (Chihaya Hondo-guchi) bus stop. This is the trail the village means by "about an hour from the trailhead".

Monju Ridge

A separate trail, Monju-one, also leads to the summit area. Going up one and down the other avoids walking the same way twice. We could not confirm official times for it; check the village's course map.

Getting there

From Kawachinagano Station

Nankai Bus routes 408 and 411 run from Kawachinagano-ekimae to Kongosan (Fushimi-toge-guchi) and stop at Kongo Tozanguchi (Chihaya Hondo-guchi) on the way (Nankai Bus route map, PDF).

From Tondabayashi Station

Kongo Bus ended its service, and since December 21, 2023 a new service run by a council of Tondabayashi, Taishi, Kanan and Chihayaakasaka has replaced it (now called the Kongo Furusato Bus). The Chihaya Line is split in two: Tondabayashi Station to Chihayaakasaka Village Junior High School, then the junior high school to Kongo Tozanguchi, so you have to change buses. The village says IC cards such as ICOCA and PiTaPa can be used on some sections only; carry cash for the rest. Timetables are on Tondabayashi City's Kongo Furusato Bus site.

Sources: Chihayaakasaka Village: new transport service (Japanese), Kongo Furusato Bus (Japanese)

By car: Osaka Prefectural Kongo Tozando car park

Open 6:00–21:00, every day
151 spaces
600 yen a day for a car, 1,300 yen for a large bus
Directions: from Mihara IC on the Hanwa Expressway, go south on Route 309. About 10 minutes past Tondabayashi, turn right at the Kanan-cho Koyama-minami junction, then right at the Chihayaakasaka Moriya junction, and drive about 20 minutes toward the Kongosan (Fushimi-toge-guchi) bus stop.

The Mt. Kongo Ropeway was removed in fiscal 2025, so older guides that start from the ropeway station no longer apply.

Source: Osaka Prefecture: Kongo Tozando car park (Japanese)

What to bring

Layers: the summit is noticeably colder than the foot of the mountain.
Light hiking boots or better.
Rain gear, water, snacks, a warm layer, a map app and a power bank.
In winter, traction (chain spikes or similar) and gloves; the trails are snowy and icy.

Tips

Check the return bus before you start; services are limited.
Do not leave the recommended trails, especially around the Tsutsujio valley.
Go slowly on the way down; stone steps are easy to slip on when you are tired.