2 model routes for a day in Okutama
- Plan A goes from Ikusabata Station to Mitake Station visiting Sawanoi-en and Gyokudo Art Museum; Plan B buses to Nippara Limestone Cave and Okutama Lake.
- Buses reach Nippara Limestone Cave on weekdays; on Saturdays and holidays they stop at Higashi-Nippara, about 25 minutes on foot.
- Adult admission is ¥600 at Gyokudo Art Museum and ¥900 at Nippara Limestone Cave; Moegi-no-Yu is a separate ¥1,200.
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This page is for people with no plans or reservations yet. Follow either route below and you have a day in Okutama, the mountain area at the western end of Tokyo.
A day trip to Okutama splits into two plans. Plan A gets off partway along the JR Ome Line for Mitake Gorge and Sawanoi. Plan B goes to the end of the line, Okutama Station, and takes a bus to the limestone cave and Okutama Lake.
In short
- Train only: Plan A (Ikusabata Station, Mitake Gorge, Sawanoi-en, Gyokudo Art Museum, Mitake Station).
- Cave and lake: Plan B (Okutama Station, Nippara Limestone Cave, Okutama Lake, Moegi-no-Yu hot spring).
- The bus that goes right up to Nippara Limestone Cave runs on weekdays only. On Saturdays and holidays it stops at Higashi-Nippara, and the walk from there takes about 25 minutes. If you do not want to walk on a weekend, choose Plan A.
- Closed days: on Mondays, Sawanoi-en and Gyokudo Art Museum (Plan A) are closed. On Wednesdays, the Fureai Hall (Plan B) is closed.
- Admission for one adult: ¥600 at Gyokudo Art Museum (Plan A) and ¥900 at Nippara Limestone Cave (Plan B). Moegi-no-Yu is ¥1,200 on top of that.
Checked with official pages on November 1, 2026 (Japan time). Prices and hours are subject to change.
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1. Timetables for the 2 Okutama routes
Click a facility name to jump to its section. Times are estimates, and Plan B shifts with the bus schedule.
| Time | Plan A (gorge and sake brewery) | Plan B (cave and lake) | Nearest stop |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:30 | Leave Ikusabata Station | Bus from Okutama Station | Ikusabata / Okutama |
| 10:30 | Mitake Gorge Promenade | Nippara Limestone Cave | Sawai Station / Shonyudo bus stop |
| 11:30 | Lunch at Mameraku | Back to Okutama Station | Sawai / Okutama |
| 13:00 | Gyokudo Art Museum | Lunch at the Fureai Hall | Mitake / Okutama Lake |
| 14:30 | To Mitake Station | Ogouchi Dam observation tower | Mitake / Okutama Lake |
| 16:00 | – | Moegi-no-Yu | Okutama Station |
Admission per adult: ¥600 at Gyokudo Art Museum in Plan A, ¥900 at Nippara Limestone Cave in Plan B (Moegi-no-Yu is a separate ¥1,200). Train and bus fares and meals are not included.
2. Things to know in Okutama (buses, closed days, road closures)
Driving to Nippara Limestone Cave is not a good idea on busy days. The car park holds about 80 cars, and on busy weekends the wait can be 1 to 3 hours. The Nippara road has many places where even two passenger cars have trouble passing each other, and the Okutama Tourist Association recommends public transport.
The Plan B bus is run by Nishi Tokyo Bus. Board the Nippara-bound bus from the right side of the Okutama Station exit. The bus to Okutama Lake leaves from the same station on a different route. Before you go, pick your outbound and return buses from the timetable on the Nishi Tokyo Bus official website (Japanese).
The JR Ome Line is suspended between Ome Station and Okutama Station from about 8:50 to 14:30 on December 11, 2026, and on January 14, 15, 18 and 19, 2027. On those days you cannot do either route by train from morning to early afternoon, so choose another day (Ozawa Sake Brewery notice on the JR Ome Line suspension, Japanese).
The Mugiyama floating bridge on Okutama Lake has been closed since October 27, 2026, with no reopening date. Shiromaru Regulating Pond Dam is closed until February 24, 2027 (planned). Neither is in these routes (Okutama Tourist Association news, Japanese).
To take it slowly and stay overnight, you can compare inns at Rakuten Travel: inns in Okutama (ad).
3. Plan A: Mitake Gorge and Sawanoi (train only)
Mitake Gorge Promenade
A walking path of about 4 km along both banks of the Tama River. The Ome tourist association describes a course of about 1 hour 30 minutes that starts at Ikusabata Station and ends at Mitake Station. Plan A inserts Sawanoi-en and Gyokudo Art Museum along the way. From Ikusabata Station, go down the slope in front of the station, then follow the Ome Kaido road toward Mitake for about 400 m. You will find stairs down to the Tama River (Ome Tourism Guide, Mitake Gorge hiking course, Japanese).
| Name | Mitake Gorge Promenade |
|---|---|
| Address | Mitake to Sawai, Ome City, Tokyo |
| Phone | 0428-24-2481 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
Sawanoi-en and Mameraku, Sawai Station
This is the shop of the sake brewery Ozawa Shuzo, about 1 km upstream from the entrance of the promenade. For lunch, Mameraku on the same grounds serves tofu and yuba (tofu skin) dishes. The oboro tofu set is ¥1,750, and last order is 15:00. (Ozawa Sake Brewery, Mameraku page, Japanese).
The brewery tour is by reservation, ¥700 per person (free for under 20). It starts at 11:00 and 13:00 on weekdays, and at 11:00, 12:30 and 14:00 on weekends and holidays, and takes about 40 minutes (brewery tour page, Japanese). From December 7 to 22 it runs once a day at 13:00 only, and it is closed from December 23 to the New Year (December notice, Japanese). Mamagotoya, run by Ozawa Sake Brewery, is by reservation only, and is closed on Mondays and Fridays (Fridays except holidays and November).
| Name | Sawanoi-en (Mameraku) |
|---|---|
| Address | 2-770 Sawai, Ome City, Tokyo |
| Hours / Closed | Sawanoi-en 10:00–17:00, Mameraku 11:00–16:00 (closed Mondays, or Tuesday if a holiday) |
| Phone | 0428-78-8210 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
Gyokudo Art Museum, Mitake Station
A museum of works by the Japanese-style painter Kawai Gyokudo, in a spot overlooking Mitake Gorge. Admission is ¥600 for adults, ¥500 for junior high, high school and university students, and ¥300 for elementary school students (Ozawa Sake Brewery, Gyokudo Art Museum page, Japanese). It is across Mitake Kobashi bridge, about 3 minutes on foot from Mitake Station, so you can head home right after.
| Name | Gyokudo Art Museum |
|---|---|
| Address | 1-75 Mitake, Ome City, Tokyo |
| Hours / Closed | March–November 10:00–17:00, December–February 10:00–16:30 (closed Mondays, or the next day if a holiday) |
| Phone | 0428-78-8335 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
4. Plan B: Nippara Limestone Cave and Okutama Lake (train and bus)
Nippara Limestone Cave
Inside the cave it stays at about 11 degrees all year. The paths are paved and the cave has electric lighting. Admission is ¥900 for adults, ¥700 for junior high students and ¥600 for elementary school students, and the last entry is 30 minutes before closing (cave information page, Japanese).
On weekdays it is about a 5-minute walk from the last stop, Shonyudo bus stop. On Saturdays and holidays, get off at Higashi-Nippara and walk about 25 minutes.
| Name | Nippara Limestone Cave |
|---|---|
| Address | 1052 Nippara, Okutama Town, Nishitama District, Tokyo |
| Hours / Closed | April 1–November 30: 9:00–17:00, December 1–March 31: 9:00–16:30 (closed December 30–January 3) |
| Phone | 0428-83-8491 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
Okutama Water and Greenery Fureai Hall, Okutama Lake
Admission is free. The hall explains the history of the village that sank under the lake when Ogouchi Dam was built, and Tokyo’s water supply. It has an observation restaurant and a souvenir shop, so Plan B takes lunch here. It is in front of Okutama Lake bus stop, and you can walk to the Ogouchi Dam observation tower next door (Okutama Tourist Association sightseeing spots, Japanese). It may close temporarily in winter (Tokyo Waterworks page, Japanese).
| Name | Okutama Water and Greenery Fureai Hall |
|---|---|
| Address | 5 Hara, Okutama Town, Nishitama District, Tokyo |
| Hours / Closed | 9:30–17:00 (closed Wednesdays, or the next day if a holiday; closed New Year holidays) |
| Phone | 0428-86-2731 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
Okutama Onsen Moegi-no-Yu, Okutama Station
A day-use hot spring 10 minutes on foot from Okutama Station, where you can bathe before your train home. Adults pay ¥1,200 for 3 hours, and the last entry is 1 hour before closing. It is closed on Mondays, and from April 2026 also on Fridays until further notice, so on those days go straight to the station. For other day-use hot springs around Tokyo, see our page (in Japanese), day-use hot springs in Tama and Okutama.
Common questions
| Name | Okutama Onsen Moegi-no-Yu |
|---|---|
| Address | 119-1 Hikawa, Okutama Town, Nishitama District, Tokyo |
| Hours / Closed | April–November 10:00–20:00, December–March 10:00–19:00 (closed Mondays, or the next day if a holiday; also closed Fridays for the time being) |
| Phone | 0428-82-7770 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
Which plan can I do on a Saturday?
Plan A is the easier one on weekends, because the bus to Nippara Limestone Cave stops at Higashi-Nippara on Saturdays and holidays and you walk about 25 minutes from there. Plan A also has no bus.
Which day should I avoid?
Mondays for Plan A (Sawanoi-en and Gyokudo Art Museum are closed), Wednesdays for Plan B (the Fureai Hall is closed), and the JR Ome Line suspension days listed in section 2.
Sources
17 pages we checked
- Okutama Tourist Association: news
- Okutama Tourist Association: sightseeing spots
- Ome Tourism Guide: Mitake Gorge Promenade
- Ome Tourism Guide: Mitake Gorge hiking course
- Ozawa Sake Brewery: Seiryu Garden Sawanoi-en
- Ozawa Sake Brewery: Mameraku
- Ozawa Sake Brewery: brewery tour
- Mamagotoya: official site
- Ozawa Sake Brewery: Gyokudo Art Museum
- Gyokudo Art Museum: visitor information
- Nippara Limestone Cave: cave page of the Nippara tourist guide
- Nippara Limestone Cave: access page of the Nippara tourist guide
- Moegi-no-Yu: official page
- Okutama Water and Greenery Fureai Hall: Tokyo Waterworks page
- Ozawa Sake Brewery: JR Ome Line suspension notice
- Ozawa Sake Brewery: December brewery tour notice
- Japanese version of this page (日本語版)
Checked with official pages on November 1, 2026 (Japan time).
