After another great Japanese breakfast we set off to get away from the urban jungle and into nature,JR Pass in hand. We traveled on the Yamanote line to Shinjuku where we changed to the JR Chuo Line for a 40 minute trip to Takao station (Y550 if you don't have a rail pass) where you change to the Keio line for a Y130/ 3 minute train ride to Takaosanguchi station. (TRAVEL TIP do not get off at Takao station because you will be in the wrong place to get access to Mt Takao)
It was a day of great views, walking, walking and more walking, up mountain paths, up stairs lots and lots of stairs, down mountain paths and down lots and lots of stairs. It wasn't all bad as there was a chair lift and an elevator in between all of the walking, but the each step and stair was worth it as at the end of it were the views and more views.
There is about a five minute walk through the town,
which has a museum and a hot spring bath house if you have the time to visit, to the cable car/ chair lift station, the cost for either of these is Y480 one way or Y930 return, some people choose the cable car one way and the chair lift the other, but the cable car is not as frequent so we choose the chair lift option both ways.
The chair lift is like a ski-lift , and it is fun soaring over the mountain, feet dangling in the air and you can't help but feel that sense of childlike wonder as you take in the beautiful scenery around you.The ride up the mountain takes about 15 minutes to get to the station, half way up the mountain and the first observation area with some great views of Tokyo and the mountains, and while standing looking out at the views you realize the enormity of the city as it is laid out in front of you.
Unfortunately even though we had beautiful sunshine it was a bit hazy so we didn't get decent views of Fujisan or Tokyo as a whole but what we saw was great.
There are many hiking paths from the foot of the mountain, or from the half way point, some more gruelling than others and I have to confess to taking the easiest route possible, past the monkey park and up towards the Yakouin shrine and temple. We choose not to stop at the monkey park because in all honesty I don't think you can top the snow monkeys of Yamanouchi so we decided to skip that and just take in the temples and shrines along with the beauty of the mountain.
We were hoping to get a glimpse of cherry blossoms as Mt Takao is also known as the Takaosan Senbonzakura ("Mount Takao Thousand Cherry Trees") and we saw a few but again a little too early for the full glory of the season, which is usually a little later than in Tokyo.
It's a fabulous walk/climb/hike and thankfully we are there on a weekday because I wouldn't like to here on the weekends with the crowds (there were enough people as it was hiking up the mountain, either for pleasure or to worship).
Mt Takao is considered to be a sacred mountain and worshippers have been coming to the area for over 1000 years to pray to the mountain gods for good fortune and you can find statues of the gods in many places along the walk, especially the two 'tengu one with a long pointed nose and the other with a crow's beak who are the guardians of the mountain.
Yakouin Temple has many intricate carvings and paintings and was well worth the trek up the hill to view it, the temple was established here in 744 with the final building dating back to 1648 and hosts many major celebrations. One we missed out on by just a few days is the fire walking event which is held on the second Sunday in March which the flames are said to burn off the 'defilement of human bodies'.
I have to say I let out a little prayer of thanks at the temple as I managed to survive the trek up without my knee giving out on me (I will probably suffer a little bit for it tomorrow but today everything has been worth it, escaping from the urban jungle to the serenity of the mountain and more amazing temples and shrines.
We wandered around the mountain for a little while, soaking up the scenery and the atmosphere (and munching on street food Mt Takao style)
before heading back into the city.
The ride down the mountain was more impressive than on the way up as it wasn't just the mountain but the city views and on a clear day Fujisan would be in view too (but I was impressed even so)
Our next port of call was getting off at Shinjuku station (alternatively you can get off the metro at Tocho-mae Station on the Oedo Subway Line is located in the basement of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building) and instead of heading into hustle and bustle of the stores we headed west towards office buildings and the Tokyo Metropolitan Building which has a free observatory (and if you have read my previous blogs you know I like observatories-I like a bird's eye view of a city where I can see it spread out before me in all it's glory. I like to see if I can see landmarks or find the oasis(parks and gardens) in the middle of the city, or finding temples in Japan scattered between towering skycrapers. I like the views, night or day, and going to an observatory that is FREE is even better
The Tōkyō Tochō is an impressive building with two towers, both with observation decks on the 45th floors, and they give impressive views of the city, and what I liked is that from here you could see both the Tokyo Tower and Skytree so I guess I've seen the view of Tokyo from a lot of different angles and from whichever view it is an impressive city.
From the tower we made our way back to the hotel stopping for another amazing meal of pork and dumpling noodles (did I tell you how much I love the food in Japan and I am still shocked at how cheap it is my bowl was Y500 $5.50AUS which was for a large bowl, and they have four sizes to choose from, the first at Y330, Y430, Y500 and XL Y630 so if you were really worried about your wallet you could stll get a decent dinner for less than $4AUS) before settling in for the night, and I am forever grateful that I get the chance to experience being in Japan again,
Such a contrast today from countryside and temples to the bustling metropolis....it's just another day in Japan