Mount Takao

A few dozens of minutes from the heart of Tokyo is Takao-san, a mountain which Japanese people have revered for a very long time. They'll refer about it with terms such as "hiking" but for most of us, it's quite a leisurely stroll on a concrete trail, accessible to wheelchairs and with toilets 🚽 at regular intervals. That doesn't stop some people from equipping themselves as if they were climbing Mount Fuji 🗻!

Upon arriving at Takaosanguchi station, a few minutes walk will take you to the start of the climb. Mount Takao offers a choice of seven main tracks, the first being the easiest (the one we were talking about earlier). Even without being good at sports or cardio, it takes less than two hours to get to the top, and one hour to 1h30 for the descent.

To help you further, two means of transportation can get you past the first part of the rather steep trail: the cable-car 🚙 or the lift.

We chose track number 6 to climb completely in nature, surrounded only by mountain and forest, with no one to spoil anything. The atmosphere was very pleasant and sometimes mystical, thanks to these great trees whose roots pave trails (including beautiful cedars) and a few discrete Buddhist or Shinto small places of worship.

Shortly before arriving at the summit of Mount Takao, all paths come together before joining this great platform, about 600 meters above sea level, which offers a breathtaking view of Tokyo, Yokohama up to Fuji-san under good weather. Unfortunately this was not our case, but at the end of the momiji 🍁 season, we could still admire some beautiful red maple trees. Be careful not plan your Takao-san climb during weekend to escape the crowd.

Here is also a short time-lapse video, shot from the platform:

There are many places to rest, enjoy a picnic or just sit down and admire the view, as well as shops and restaurants. A restaurant, opened in summer only, serves an all-you-can-eat buffet for about ¥3,000 (~US$19.65).

Going back down, if you haven't seen it based on the chosen path, you have to go through Yakuo-in temple and admire the Tengus, gods of the mountain.

A little further down, don't forget to taste some grilled mochi (in winter) or an ice cream (in summer) while enjoying the sunset.

Fun fact, Mount Takao is said to be the most visited mountain in the world (2,6 million climbers in 2009).