A Beginner-Friendly Hike up Arima-Fuji

What?
Arima-Fuji (有馬富士) is conically shaped, and that’s pretty much where the comparison with Mount Fuji ends. At just 374 m, it’s more of a hill than a mountain. Still, despite its low altitude and fairly short trails, it offers surprisingly varied scenery, including a park, a lake, a forest hike, and a short rocky section. Perfect for beginner hikers or for anyone with half a day of good weather to spare.
Where?
Located in Sanda (三田) in Hyogo Prefecture (兵庫県), Arima-Fuji is extremely easy to access. The walk starts from Shin-Sanda Station (新三田駅) on the JR Fukuchiyama Line (福知山線also labeled the Takarazuka Line 宝塚線), and you can get there directly from Osaka Station (大阪駅) in under an hour. Easy peasy.
URL
Journey through History with Hyogo Hokusetsu

Picking a hike for a bunch of people with widely different fitness levels is tough. I thought I had nailed it with this conic-shaped, low-altitude hill, its gentle approach through a park and around a small lake, and its pleasant vista from the top.
I should think again.

From the station to the actual start of the trail, we meandered through farm fields, a short forest stretch, a shrine, and a man-made park with a lake. At my usual pace it wouldn’t take more than half an hour, yet it was still very pretty and relaxing.
For me, hiking is all about getting out of the city, breathing fresh air, and if possible, being as alone as I can be. Despite being close to civilization and part of a group, this short approach already ticked many of those boxes.

The hike itself also was very easy. Hiking guru Wes Lang from Hiking in Japan always states, “never judge a mountain by its height, but by its shape”. And indeed, I have climbed more than one small mountain with ridiculously steep slopes. But no so with Arima-Fuji. Arima-Fuji has a prolonged gentle incline until a little before the peak, where some rocks and boulders require a bit of scrambling.
It’s here that I failed to grasp how somebody with no experience might feel. Most of our group climbed this short stretch without any trouble, but a few found the clambering - and specifically the potential drop - pretty scary. But of course, when you hike as a group, you move as a group, so with some guidance and patience we all safely made it to the top, from where we all could enjoy the nice panorama. Really fun about the top is that from the boulders you have a neat view over the lake and the city of Sanda, while just a few steps away you’re treated to a sweeping view over part of eastern Hyogo Prefecture and its rolling, hill-covered landscape.

After reaching the peak so early in the hike, the remainder was a refreshing forest walk. Here and there it required climbing a few dozen meters up or down, but nothing out of the ordinary. The fall season treated us to some funky colors, a slippery carpet of fallen leaves, and to what we believed – to the horror of one of our group - were bear scratch marks on several trees.

The approach from the parking lot of the nearby park.

Funky colours.

Standing on the rocky section.

We reached the top early in the hike.

The sudden appearance of a concrete road to our left surprised me a bit, as the forest around us was still quite dense. But considering the overall length of the hike, the timing was probably just right—not too long, not too short.
The loop trail brought us back to the lake, where we took a moment to soak in the peaceful atmosphere, with ducks splashing around and turtles being their usual lazy selves.

I would still recommend Arima-Fuji to absolute beginners, but be aware that there’s a short stretch of rocks and boulders that requires steady footing. Otherwise, enjoy the time outside!