Known to have the best views of Mount Fuji from anywhere in the Izu Peninsula, Mount Daruma is iconic. The mountain walk happens along the ridgeline of the mountain with only kumasasa (miniature  bamboo) around you so the views are constant and absolutely stunning on a clear day. The mountain is an extinct volcano from up to 1 million years ago. The mountain is named after the Indian monk Bodhidharma because its rounded shape is said to look like the monk in seated meditation. Daruma in Japan is associated with stoicism and hard work. I love Daruma because of the gruesome tales about him. He is said to have meditated for so long that his arms and legs simply fell off. Another tale says that he once fell asleep in seated meditation. He was so angry at himself that he cut off his eyelids. Dolls of Daruma are round heads with faces but no pupils in the eyes. They are sold as lucky charms that help to drive you and achieve your goals. You buy a doll, you set your goal, and you color in one pupil. You put it in a place where you will always see it to remind you to work towards your goal. Once you achieve it, you color in the other pupil.

It is a pretty easy hike and the access by bus, while infrequent as always, is pretty good. I have written about the hike starting and finishing in Darumayama Kogen-resthouse Bus Stop (だるま山高原レストハウス). There is a toilet and a restaurant here. As the rest of the hike has no facilities, this seems like the best place to start and finish.

This is roughly a 4 hour hike but it can be shortened to two hours by starting and finishing at the Heda Toge Bus Stop (戸田峠) instead. You could also make it an A to B hike by starting at Fanabara Togeguchi Bus Stop (船原峠口) and walking over Mount Daruma and to the Heda Toge Bus Stop. But, info now told, let's stop there lest I make it even more confusing!