When Shinjuku's concrete skyscrapers become too much, in about an hour, you can escape to the foot of 599-meter (1,965-foot) Mt. Takao and the heavily wooded Meiji Memorial Forest Park that surrounds it. While heading to the top of the peak—which is associated with tengu, one of the best known yokai (monster-spirits) of Japanese folklore—it's hard to believe that you're still within Tokyo's metropolitan area.
On weekends, the mountain gets unpleasantly crowded. Although there are still plenty of hikers, weekday excursions are pleasant. If you start early, you can get in a hike; stop at some viewpoints, temples, or shrines; perhaps visit the Monkey Zoo and Wild Plant Garden (¥500 for entrance to both)—which has indigenous primates and wild native plants—and be back in central Tokyo by nightfall. Note, too, that the Tokai Nature Trail, which runs all the way to Osaka, also starts at the mountain.
The Mt. Takao climb isn't nearly as grueling as that of Mt. Fuji, especially along Trail 1. This popular, fairly direct, paved route starts at Kiyotaka Station, the cable-car base station, and leads to the visitor center at the top. The 3.8-km (2.4-mile) hike takes about 1¾ hours. If you take the cable car or chairlift up, you'll join this trail a third of the way up.
Comfortable sneakers are fine, unless you plan to tackle unpaved trails, which get quite slippery and require hiking boots. In either case, dress in layers, and bring a raincoat. Although there's a seasonal beer hall and overpriced vending machines and food stalls, there's no running water, so bring plenty of your own water and snacks. It is mountain-climbing etiquette to greet people you overtake or meet coming the opposite direction. Smile and say "konnichiwa."
Near the start of Trail 1 is a short detour to konpira-dai, one of the mountain's several small shrines, where there is a clear view of central Tokyo. After backtracking to Trail 1, continue past Sanjo Station (the upper chairlift station) and Takaosan Station (the cable-car terminus) to reach the tenbodai, an observatory with another view of the Tokyo skyline.
Here you have choices. You could detour to Trail 2, a 30-minute loop that meets back up with Trail 1 farther up the mountain; heading to the right on Trail 2 means your first stop will be the hebitaki, a picturesque waterfall; head to the left to stop at the Monkey Zoo and Wild Plant Garden first. Alternatively, you could just continue on Trail 1 to the takosugi (octopus cedar), a tree with exposed roots so fantastical that they resemble a giant sea monster, and the Joshinmon Gate, the entrance to Takao's sacred grounds.
Continue to the busharito, a stone pagoda that literally means "Buddha's bone," and is said to mark one of the spots where pieces of Buddha's remains were spread around the world after his cremation. Just past this is Yakuoin Temple, dedicated to Yakushi Nyorai, the Buddha of Medicine, believed to have been built in 744. The 2,500 historical documents surviving in the temple explain Japanese religious beliefs during the Warring States (mid-1400s–1603) and Edo (1603–1868) periods. Trail 1 then continues on to the visitor center at the peak, passing beech, oak, and Japanese nutmeg trees along the way.
