Photo/Illutration A deer appears in front of eco-tour participants at Hinohara Tomin-no Mori forest on May 10 in Hinohara village, western Tokyo. (Harufumi Mori)

Hato Bus Co. may be synonymous with nighttime tours of Tokyo’s landmarks, but it has now branched with an “eco tour” in the capital.

It partnered with the government of Hinohara village in western Tokyo so sightseers can experience nature without trampling on the local environment.

Aside from islands in the Pacific Ocean that come under the jurisdiction of the Tokyo metropolitan government, Hinohara is the only village in Tokyo.

The first tour on May 10 was fully booked with 34 people who had made reservations.

Some of the passengers were middle-aged, some were families, some were friends, and some came alone.

The bus departed from JR Tokyo Station at 8:20 a.m.

Hurtling along an expressway with little traffic due to rain, it took less than two and a half hours to reach the first destination, the Hinohara Tomin-no Mori forest.

The woodland lies more than 1,000 meters above sea level.

A local eco-tour guide told the group: “This area is full of nature, with its delicious air, the smell of trees and soil, and the murmuring of the river. Please feel it with your whole body.”

The participants strolled along “forest therapy road,” a gently sloping path paved with cypress chips that covers 2 kilometers there and back.

In the lush green surroundings, the day-trippers took in the spectacular Mitou Great Falls, with its 35-meter drop, and flowers in bloom.

When a deer appeared, many could not help but shout with joy.

Lunch was served at a traditional ryokan inn, where the group feasted on local wild vegetables.

Afterward, they soaked in the hot spring “Kazuma-no-yu” to relieve any aches and tiredness, and sampled handmade konnyaku, a specialty of the area.

They returned to Tokyo Station before 6 p.m.

Kiyoko Nakamura, 57, who lives in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture north of Tokyo, went with three friends from her high school days.

“I was so amazed by the natural surroundings that I seriously wondered if this was Tokyo at all,” she said.

Izumi Domon, 69, who lives in Tokyo’s Sumida Ward, joined the tour with her daughter.

“It was an experience I could not have had without the bus tour,” she said. “It was very relaxing.”

Hato Bus serves approximately 560,000 passengers a year with tours mainly in urban and downtown Tokyo sightseeing areas such as Asakusa, Ginza and Roppongi.

Until now, the company has not offered many tours that extend to the western part of Tama, a western suburb.

On the other hand, the company in recent years has also focused on sustainable tourism by introducing fuel-efficient buses that use electric motors in combination to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

In December 2024, the company joined the Japan Ecotourism Society.

The selection of the village of Hinohara was a no-brainer when the company began scouting locations for a nature tour.

The tours in June are scheduled for the 8th, 14th, and 28th, which are all Saturdays and Sundays.

The number of participants for each tour is limited to 44.

The tours are off to a good start, with nearly 80 percent of reservations already made, the company said.

While many Hato Bus tours that go around central Tokyo attract visitors from outside Tokyo, a good number of those who have booked the Hinohara village tours live in Tokyo, the company said.

“Many people may still be unaware of the richness and charm of nature in Tokyo, which is close at hand,” said a company representative.

A portion of the tours’ proceeds will be donated to the Hinohara village’s ecotourism promotion council to help preserve the environment.

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