Hiking trips on Mount Takao

Some people like hiking, some people don’t, and some people would like it if they weren’t so discouraged by the physical aspect of it. Let’s face it, not everyone can boast of climbing the Himalaya. But fellow sloths, don’t despair!

There are a couple of ‘mountains’ that we, the inexperienced hikers, can tackle as well, without the humiliation of having to return after only a couple of hours of wheezing and sweating. Mount Takao in Japan is the perfect spot where we can get our fill of scenic views, while leisurely walking on paved hiking trails (or even taking the funicular halfway up the mountains).

Mount Takao is a 599 meter tall mountain located at about an hour from donwtown Tokyo, which makes it a very good recreation area for both Tokyo-ites and tourists. The mountain is covered by dense woods, has a small but interesting temple, and offers beautiful views of the surrounding hills, Tokyo, Mount Fuji and even as far as Yokohama.

There is an entire network of hiking trail covering the mountain: a broad, paved one where you can walk like on a street, and several smaller nature hiking trails. However, there is also a funicular and a chair lift which can take you halfway up. If you don’t use the Takao Mountain Railroad (which offers both of these services), it takes about 90 minutes to reach the top. Many of the visitors skip the first (and most arduous) half of the mountain, and start climbing from the middle, which explains why most of the souvenir shops and refreshment stalls are located not at the top, but in the middle of the trail.

The best time to visit Mount Takao is during koyo, or the autumn foliage season, when the leaves of Takaosan’s woods turn vibrant shades of red and orange. For this reason, the trails get a bit crowded on weekends, and planing a hiking trip for a weekday might be a good idea.

Chances are that you will still encounter several fellow hikers (in which case just say konnichiwa and smile politely). Yakuoin Temple is near the top of the mountain, where hikers can pray for good luck to the tengu of the mountain, two statues, one with a long nose and another with the beak of a crow.

Once you reach the top, everything feels like a festival: people are cooking on hot plates, drinking tea or sake, playing cards and generally being merry. There are several udon noodle shops too (for those who didn’t bring a picnic basket with them) where you can buy a bowl of tasty, hot noodles. Taking different hiking trails will get you to the Natural Zoo (where you can get acquainted with Japanese macaques) and a botanical garden.

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