Oku-tama Lake

Oku-tama is technically in Tokyo however clearly this is not the Tokyo everyone knows about. A famous spot during the fall season, Oku-tama Lake is a great place to walk through nature just over 2 hours from the bustle of Shinjuku.
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The Good	The Not-So Good
Great during the Fall	Difficult to get to
Peaceful wilderness near Tokyo

Okutama is home to Lake Okutama, a popular day trip from Tokyo during the summer, and widely popular in April and November when the Cherry Blossoms and Fall leaf season starts.

Access to Okutama

You can take a Chuo line train from Tokyo or Shinjuku that goes direct to Okutama, or you can change at Ome station. The Chuo line has a bunch of destinations and splits off into two at Tachikawa station, so you have to make sure you are on the right train. Use Google Maps or Jorudan to catch the train on the Ome section of the Chuo line. If you want to start out early and it is a weekend, you can take the Holiday Rapid service from Shinjuku which goes directly to Okutama. Out-going is at [06:46, 07:44, 08:19] and return is at [15:27, 16:18, 16:54] only (you can miss it, but the next train will take an extra 30 minutes and you might have to change at Tachikawa station). The Chuo line gets crowded during rush hour however you are going in the opposite direction to the rush so it should be fine.

Take the holiday rapid at weekends (weekday will be less crowded however)

Get a bus to the bridge here and go visit two secluded shrines on the hills edge. Buses operate around the lake edge during the day. Walking will be quite a slog but not impossible. You can also hire a bike from very close to Okutama station, which is a very clever thing to do. Be careful of the incline up from Okutama station to the lake. Check out the route here first. You cannot do a circle around the lake as one side has no path, so once you get to the end you will have to double back.

Attractions around Okutama Station

Moeginoyu is a hot spring near Okutama station that gets very busy at weekends. The reviews on Google Maps are not the best so perhaps avoid it on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays.

If you want hot springs then is a more highly rated establishment here. However, it is not within walking distance and there are not a lot of buses there from the lake (official site) so getting there and back without a car would be a bit of a pain to schedule. You can however stay here.

There are the Nippara limestone caves (English information) nearby that are very popular and some of the largest in Japan. There are buses to the caves from Okutama station very regularly.

For more sightseeing spots have a look at this site. The trout fishing spot is recommended however there doesn’t seem to be much information in English, even though the site is called the Hikawa International Trout Fishing Spot. Prices are here although only in Japanese. You can get a half a day pass for ¥1,700 that allows up to 5 fish. They can BBQ your catch for you for what looks like ¥50 a fish, but it isn’t clear from the website. Maybe they will do it for free. You aren’t going to take the fish home so best eat them there.