{"id":10960,"date":"2016-07-08T12:00:46","date_gmt":"2016-07-08T03:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=10960"},"modified":"2020-03-27T11:00:09","modified_gmt":"2020-03-27T02:00:09","slug":"mt-takao-hiking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/mt-takao-hiking\/","title":{"rendered":"Enjoy mountain hiking close to Tokyo at Mt Takao"},"content":{"rendered":"
Mt Takao is the perfect mountain escape that can easily be reached in just 1 hr from Shinjuku on the Keio Takao Line Limited Express Train.<\/p>\n
Mt Takao<\/a>\u00a0has many different options you can take to reach\u00a0the summit (599 m) depending on your fitness level. For the less energetic or time pressed you can opt to catch the chairlift or cable car which will take you halfway up the mountain.\u00a0For everyone else you can choose from three\u00a0different hiking tracks that will take you past different sights.<\/p>\n We decided to begin with Hiking Trail #1 (Omotesando trail) as it takes you\u00a0passed\u00a0many temples and is paved road all the way up so we figured it would be easier. We learnt on the way up that it is pretty much a whole lot of steep switchbacks all the way till you reach the top of the chairlift. \u00a0Trail #1 seems to be the most popular trail to hike down as we passed hundreds of school kids and other hikers the whole way up. It takes around 90 mins to reach the summit and is 3.8kms long.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n On the way up you pass some random lone\u00a0deities\u00a0that are hiding in the woods.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Once you start getting close to the temple\u00a0you start to see red lanterns lining the path and if you are feeling game you can hike up these steps. Before you hit these steps you will pass the cable car and chairlift stations that have many restaurants as well as toilets. You will also pass a Monkey Park as well as the\u00a0Octopus Cedar that you might miss if it wasn’t for the Octopus Statue nearby.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n It is worth climbing the stairs because eventually you will reach this gateway that leads to the\u00a0small temple above.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Next to the\u00a0temple\u00a0there appears to be a shrine for young children going by all the toys that have been offered.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Once you reach\u00a0Yakuoin Temple you will find many interesting\u00a0things to look at including this scary looking statue which is apparently of a Shinto-Buddhist mountain god (tengu).<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n You can also add a bell to this shrine full of bells.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Or line up to hit the rings of the Buddhist priests khakkhara.<\/p>\n