Mt. Takao 高尾山 (Takao-san)
Mt. Takao is located in east Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the highest points in Tokyo at 599 meters and loved by Tokyoites. Receiving 3 Michelin stars, over 2.5 million people visit it each year! After over 10 years of living in and visiting Tokyo I finally got around to climbing it. Now that I have, I regret not doing it sooner!
Mt. Takao has a long, deep history steeped in buddhism and shintoism, the two religions of Japan. For over 1000 years the mountain has been a sacred spot upon which sits a stunning temple complex and Tengu guards. As we climb the mountain we'll touch on this a bit more, but let's start from the train station.
Takaosanguchi station is located on the Keio Line and is about 50 minutes outside of Shinjuku on the Super Express train. Recently renovated, the station has been decorated in natural wood to bring it in line with it's beautiful surroundings.
As you exit the station it is about a 5 minute walk to the cable car and chair lift station. You walk beside a nice little river and onto a small main street lined with "omiyage" (gift) shops and restaurants.
In the spring you can catch the sakura blooming along the stream.
Occasionally you might even see a celebrity doing a variety show shoot. The man in the center is a famous comedian, Masaru Hamaguchi .
Now that you've arrived at the cable car station, don't forget to check out the temple here. Beautiful carpentry and statues greet the visitor.
If you've got time and you're in shape you can choose to take one of the hiking trails from this point, but I fit neither of those categories so I chose the shortcut, the cable car. At about $9.00 for a round trip ticket, you get a 6 minute ride up a very, almost uncomfortably steep, mountain.
Once you reach the top it's all travel by foot. This area has a very famous Observation Deck with beautiful views of the sprawling metropolis below. From June to October it turns into "Beer Mount" a beer garden! I missed it this year!!
As you make your way out of the station and down the paved trail you pass two interesting points within minutes, a Monkey park and the famous Octopus Root Cedar, "Tako-sugi". I opted for the latter as I already had my two monkeys with me. The tree is said to be 500 years old and the root system strangely grows back from the path. Legend says a Tengu was looking for a way up the mountain and the tree moved it's root out of the way for him to pass. The tree is considered holy and a path opener for all.
Moving on the way forward becomes a concrete road lined with red lanterns up to the temple. It must be attractive to see at night.
After a few minutes of walking up this portion of the path you come to a plateau with a stunning look out spot and a small ramen restaurant. Unfortunately it was overcast when we were there so the image below isn't the best, but you can get a sense of the view.
Just around the corner from this point is the Takaosan Yakuo-in Temple. First though you enter through the Shiteno Gate guarded by Tengu.
Tengu are long nosed, Japanese goblins. On Mount Takao there are two Tengu, Ko-tengu, also known as Karasu-tengu烏天狗, a beak nosed goblin with wings who carries a sword and Ou-tengu, also known as Hanadaka-tengu” (天狗), a long nosed tengu with wings and a fan as a weapon. He is the famous red faced tengu and this emoji 👺 represents him. These Tengu are the guardians of Mount Takao so mind your manners around here or else...
As you pass through the Shiteno gate you walk into a courtyard honoring the Tengu. Just beyond this point is the magnificent Takaosan Yakuo-in Temple. Of course to get to it you must ascend a flight of steps as is common with so many Japanese temples.
Now we've reached the temple. It is incredible. The wood carvings, the statues, everything in proportion, properly laid out, an absolute work of art. Here you make your offerings and prayers and reflect on everything. It's something I can't wait to return to do again.
That's it! We made it! But, it's not all Takaosan has to offer. The summit is still further up the mountain with another observation deck there. There are several other trails to hike on, each with their own attractions and there are several restaurants on the mountain as well. While I covered the main path up, there are still more sites along that path that I didn't go over in this post.
In closing, here is the Keio Corporation's site giving you most of the information you need to plan a nice trip to Mount Takao. If you are in Tokyo or plan to visit, it's a nice break from the hustle of the city, especially if you are looking for a nice temple.
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