Mount Takao
Mount Takao, A 599 M (About 1,970 Ft) Wooded Hill On The Western Edge Of Tokyo Inside A Quasi National Park, With The Yakuo In Temple On Its Slope. The Nearest Real Mountain Walk To Central Tokyo And One Of The Busiest Hiking Spots In The Country. · Hachioji, Tokyo
Mount Takao is a 599 m wooded hill on the western edge of Tokyo, about 50 minutes from Shinjuku on the Keio Line to Takaosanguchi Station. It is often said to be one of the most visited mountains in the world, and the numbers show on a fine weekend. Six numbered trails and the Inariyama route lead up from the base, a cable car and a chairlift cover the lower slope, and the Yakuo-in temple, with its tengu statues of long-nosed goblins, sits partway up. On a clear winter day the summit looks across to Mount Fuji. It suits families, first-time hikers and anyone in Tokyo who wants a real forest walk without a long trip. Allow three to five hours return on foot, less with the lift. It is worth the detour on a weekday, in autumn colour or at dawn. It is not worth it on a sunny autumn Saturday if you hate queues, because the main route becomes a slow procession of walkers. Take a drink and a snack, and expect crowds.
Mount Takao, Takaomachi, Hachioji, Tokyo, at the end of the Keio Line; cable car and chairlift station at Kiyotaki, trailheads from Takaosanguchi Station, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan
The mountain is open all day and the trails have no gate, but the paths are unlit and you should be off the hill by dusk. The cable car and chairlift run from morning to early evening, with the last ride earlier in winter - confirm times at the station, and expect a pause in service for maintenance or bad weather. Yakuo-in is open through the day and closes in the late afternoon. From Shinjuku, take the Keio Line to Takaosanguchi, about 50 minutes with a change possible; Suica, PASMO and other IC cards work on the train and the lift. Nothing needs booking, but the base station can be packed on weekends and on the first sunrise of the year, when some trains run through the night.