Forest trails
Cedar and maple.
Yoshikazu TAKADA from Tokyo, Japan — CC BY 2.0 · Raita Futo — CC BY 2.0 · Arashiyama — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Arashiyama — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Arashiyama — CC BY-SA 3.0
Mount Takao is a mountain in the city of Hachiōji in western Tokyo, about 48 km in a straight line west of central Tokyo, within Meiji no Mori Takao Quasi-National Park. It is 599 m high and less than an hour by train from central Tokyo, making it one of Japan's most popular hiking spots. The mountain has eight hiking trails and more than 2.5 million visitors a year. In Japanese folklore it is linked with the legendary tengu and with the mountain practice of Shugendō, and the Buddhist temple Yakuōin stands on its slopes. The Tama Forest Science Garden lies at its foot. Trails climb through dense forest of cedar, beech and maple, and in autumn the slopes turn red and gold. From the summit and the Ichōdaira viewpoint there are wide views over the Kantō plain and the distant towers of Tokyo, and on clear days Mount Fuji appears to the west. The climb to the summit on foot takes about 90 minutes, and part of it can be shortened by cable car or chairlift. The mountain is extremely busy on autumn weekends, so go on a weekday and early in the morning.
Cedar and maple.
Over Tokyo.
On clear days.
Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan
About 90 minutes on foot.
Yes, by cable car or chairlift.