The underrated (foreign) tourist attraction of Tokyo: Mountain Takao
Skyscrapers, sushi, temples, and trains. What else comes to mind when you think about Tokyo? How about mountains?
![The underrated (foreign) tourist attraction of Tokyo: Mountain Takao](/content/images/size/w960/2021/10/Mt.-Takao-Olympics-Rings.jpeg)
Skyscrapers, sushi, temples, and trains. What else comes to mind when you think about Tokyo? How about mountains? Mountain Takao is just a short train ride from the central Tokyo (it still is in Tokyo.)
Hiking up Mount Takao
Back in April, I went hiking up Mount Takao. In Japan, there is hiking, but also yamanobori (山の登り), or hiking up mountains. Literally, it is mountain 山 climb 登り.
Mount Takao, is one of the most popular mountains to visit from Tokyo for a variety of reasons:
![hiker hiking up mountain takao in spring](https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9fe1a9e-ef17-4bf0-92a4-5caace641c90_1200x1600.png)
- It’s close to Tokyo (about 50 minutes from Shinjuku by train for about JPY 400 or about 4 dollars one-way)
- It’s a smaller mountain, at 599 meters, it’s only 3.1 km to the top with about 400 meters of elevation gain
- There is a cable car that goes almost to the top for those who cannot or do not want to climb the whole thing
![Red and Orange cable car up Mountain Takao](https://hapasjapan.com/content/images/2021/10/IMG_0858-min-copy-min-1.jpg)
Here comes the cable car!
Since Tokyo went into lockdown and my friends are EARLY risers (as in 4 am), we left quite early, around 5 am. There was hardly anyone on the train and we got to the bottom of the mountain around 7 am.
![](https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F42aae8ee-db0a-4ff0-b291-8de20d48c333_1600x1200.jpeg)
We took it nice and slow and took about an hour to reach the top.
At the top there were Olympic Rings in front of mountain Fuji. What a nice view.
![](https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff9c5cb62-6fae-4ad8-b0ac-3b0d53d21a8c_1600x1200.jpeg)
This hike however, was a special one: it was one of my friend’s 100th time up Takao! Like any celebration we celebrated with a cake.
![`hiking up takao mountain 100 times cake](https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8062b4c6-ddde-4ac0-8ff5-20624b22c01f_1600x1200.jpeg)
The nice thing about Mount Takao is that you can see the Tokyo skyline. In addition, there is also a large temple on the way to the top.
![view from mountain takao looking at Tokyo city](https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee7799e4-790a-4fcd-8596-ba6d76de713c_1600x1200.png)
It was only 10:30 by the time we climbed down and reached the station to head back. Surprisingly, we were greeted by large crowds of people, even though we are in lockdown (but hey, I was there too).
There is also an onsen, (温泉) or hot spring at the bottom of the mountain. Relaxing in a hot bath is the perfect way to end a hike.
![](https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30f047ba-f5fc-4768-aa40-2a729b022051_1600x1200.jpeg)
Mount Takao is a busy attraction. Despite this, I do recommend Mount Takao to those visitors who want a taste of mountain climbing in Japan, but don’t have time to travel to a farther mountain.
Mount Takao includes a view of mountain Fuji, Tokyo Skyline, a temple, and cable cars. What more could you ask for?
Japanese washlet toilet at the top, of course¥
![japanese washlet toilet at mountain Takao](https://cdn.substack.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6c912004-0cd6-4bb2-a965-b12ff9584ad1_1200x1600.png)