Travel: Mount Takao

Mount Takao – we hiked trail number six of this beautiful mountain about an hour outside of downtown Tokyo. The winding path is stunning, full of trees, moss, and very few people. Once we got to the top, however, the views were well worth the hundreds of steps. On the way down, we divided our walk between the popular paved path and then jumped back into the wilderness with a more off the beaten path route. Check out our photos below.

Mount Takao

Okay, first you’re probably wondering how we got there – the metro, of course! Take the metro to the Takaosanguchi Station and you’ll get off right at the base of the mountain.

This little store and cafe are the perfect spot to pick up a light snack before your hike. We were up around 6:30am and got to the mountain base around 8:10am. The ride was smooth and easy to navigate.

Once we arrived, we checked out the map (see detailed photo below), then I turned on All Trails (such a great app!), and we hit the trail.

If you don’t have data on your phone, you can snag a photo of the map, yet be wary, not all divides in the paths are marked.

Check out the path on our way up.

Oh, and did I mention there are stairs?!

Seeing this sign at the top of the stairs was worth it, though.

The Peak

Once at the top, it’s a bit busy, especially if the tram is working. On a very clear day, which doesn’t happen often, you can see the peak of Mount Fuji. Can you tell which mountain is Fuji below?!

See the mountain with a white cloud on it that looks like the right side of an imperial moustache style? That’s Mount Fuji. Oh, and you best believe I had to look up moustache styles to ensure I had the right name.

We spent about 30 minutes at the top, and it took us about 2 hours to get up, and only about 45-60 minutes on the way down. All in all, a little under 4 hours, the perfect way to spend the morning. I carried a small backpack with water and snacks. There are vending machines at the top, reasonably priced, yet I wasn’t sure what they’d have.

Here we are on the way down. We mostly stuck to trail six, but also completed two and four when we crossed them.