Mount Takao

With the height of 599m, Mt Takao is one of the most popular all year round hiking spots in Tokyo. It is located westward. Among them autumn is special! The whole mountain is covered with autumn foliage. You can enjoy hiking in a beautiful crimson, yellow, brown or orange tunnel.
Up to the half way, you can go there by funicular railway or ropeway. In autumn you are ready to wait for 1 hour and a half to get on a vehicular, because the mountain is crowded with hikers. Either walking all route long or using a vehicular is all right;D)
If you get on a funicular railway or ropeway, you reach the summit of the mountain in 30 minutes or so.
It was a silver week that is a holiday-​studded week in September when we went on a hike there. We saw a lot of hikers of various nationalities. We heard various kinds of languages there. Very international: D)
If you are hungry and have no lunch box, don’t worry about that. On the way there are several diners and souvenir shops to satisfy your appetite. Around the area especially Soba or buckwheat noodles with grated yam are famous! We entered an Italian restaurant in front of the nearest station, though.
Around the top of the mountain you find a temple named «Yakuoin», which is well known for Tengu. By the way, do you know what Tengu is like? Tengu is an imaginary goblin with a long nose and a red face. He has wings on his back and holds a feather fan. He is believed to be a kind of guardian deity to protect the mountain and Buddhist monks for self-​discipline there. A pair of Tengu images in the compound of the temple is so outstanding that it makes a popular picture-​taking spot: D)
Have a fun time there!
Supplement:
At night if you are lucky, you may encounter flying squirrels called Musasabi (^0^)

¡Muy lindo! Por suerte visité en un día que no estaba demasiado lleno, aunque la verdad es que para ser una montaña está bastante concurrida. Quizás es porque es de tan fácil acceso y cerca de la ciudad, pero realmente le saca un poco de magia el estar rodeado de gente constantemente.
Más allá de eso, la vista es hermosa. Se puede acceder a la zona más alta a pie, en un trencito (ok, ¿en un tranvía? No sé cómo se llama) o en una especie de aerosilla. Los precios son normales para lo que es Japón, nada demasiado descabellado.
Creo que la mejor época es durante el otoño, por lo lindo del follaje (qué palabra horrible) rojizo, pero es la época en la que más gente hay. Hay un parque con monos al que no fui (no es gratis) pero supongo que la mejor época para verlos tiene que ser finales de otoño también, o invierno.
Hay muchas casas de té, baños, negocios de comida, vendedores de souvenirs, máquinas expendedoras de bebidas, etc en la montaña, por lo que no es necesario ir con muchas cosas. Los precios no son desorbitantes.
Es recomendable, pero hay que intentar visitar durante la semana o en temporada más bien baja, cuando hay una cantidad aceptable de gente. Los fines de semana es un desmadre.

This mountain was my favorite mountain/​hill during my study abroad. It was so close to Tokyo that whenever I needed a break from the city life, I just head straight here. I went at least once a month during my stay in Japan. During the spring, the air is so crisp and there will be a nice breeze and it almost seems like a magical land, especially when you walk from Takaosan to Jinba. Well there is the main route that people go through; it’s very very popular, especially on weekends. There are a few restaurants and vending machines at the top for food. Walking up there, you’ll also encounter side shops selling sweets. If you prefer to get away from the crowd, I recommend going the other roads less taken like towards Jinbasan. It’s really really pretty during the spring! There are cable cars too that can take you down the mountain after your «hike» up. Good experience and worth it too imo.
During the winter, be careful because there will be ice sheets forming on some of the routes, especially off road ones. I made mistake of coming here with wrong type of shoes during the winter (I know; dumb move) and let’s just say I took a lot longer time coming down the mountain due to the ice. Oh and be sure not to come when there is possible chance of storm too. Yes, I have also came during a day with bad weather forecast and let’s just say I witnessed lightening/​thunder bolts striking, a tree burning and I am proud to experience the flashing light so close. You will have fun here and build lots of memories so I recommend!

Every year there is a time when the Sun seems to set at the center of the crater of Mt. Fuji. During that time, Mt. Fuji looks like a diamond. It was sunny and clear when we started from the Takosanguchi Station so we were very hopeful but unfortunately, on the side of Mt. Fuji, it was still cloudy. Mt. Takao is a great spot to this great moment :) Unfortunately we did not get to see a clear view of this Diamond Fuji.
It was already December when we climb Mt. Takao, so we were really surprise that the trees are still in full color. En route we found this big tree in the side of the road, I think they called it Tako (Octopus) Tree. So I made a simple story based on the information about the tree
«A long long time ago, I was basking in the sun, digging my roots into the sweet earth then one day I heard the humans that they were going to cut me down because my roots were blocking their way but I still want to live. I want to see the world and reach for the sky and have the birds perched on me. Listen to them sing. See winter. See summer. See how the season change. You might think that this is selfish of me, but the forest is my home and I want to live my life so I decided to give the humans what they want and move my roots out of the road. Now they consider me something lucky and I think I am.»
It was a great hike, easy but definitely interesting.

Highly highly recommend a stop to Mount Takao, especially if your trip to Tokyo is around one week or more! You can take the Keio Takao Line from Shinjuku to the terminal station (approximately one hour, 390 yen each way). You can also take the JR Chuo Line. When you buy your ticket for the train, you can choose some of the «packages» that includes cable car, round trip, etc.
In terms of the mountain itself, if you want to see all the attractions, it’s probably a good idea to choose Trail 1 for either up or down the mountain. There are two main attractions — the Monkey Park (costs approximately 500 yen, but very worth it) and the Yakuoin Temple (free). Both are on Trail 1, the most popular and most paved trail. The hardest climb on Trail 1 would be from the bottom of the Takao-​san to the Monkey Park, if you’re climbing up. If you take the cable car, you can avoid this part of the trail. The rest of Trail 1 is relatively easy to hike. All along Trail 1, there are food and drink stands.
At the top of the peak, you can see Mt Fuji (on a clear day). Though we picked a clear day to go, the clouds seem to congregate around the peak of Mt Fuji. If we strain, we could see it — especially with sunglasses on, it was clear and magestic. But unfortunately, it didn’t photograph well. There is also a soba shop on the peak where you can grab a quick lunch (AkebonoTei).
At the top of the peak, you get your pick of trails again. We went up Trail 1 and down Trail 5 (for the Biwa waterfall). Trail 5 is very much a trail. It is not paved. There are not that many people — we came across two couples and a woman with her dog. The trail includes walking muddy/​forest paths and, at one point, jumping on rocks to navigate down a (relatively shallow) creek!
We went up Trail 1 and down Trail 5, but it might be a better idea to do the reverse. Trail 5 could be pretty dangerous for a beginner hiker, especially going down the mountain. The early parts of Trail 1 were also hard to climb up (very steep and paved) and would be easier to climb down. All in all, stopping a lot along the way, Mount Takao with all of its attractions took us a solid day to get through. We made it back to Shinjuku in time for dinner!
If you’re less interested in the attractions and more interested in the hiking aspect. At the top of Mount Takao, you can choose to continue on to the other peaks. There is a path that takes you up and down various peaks until you get to Mount Jimba, where you can hike down Mount Jimba and take the bus back to the station.

This place is a lot of fun! Ride a cable car or chair lift up! (Kinda like half way up) There is a money park (bring some yen to get in and feed the monkeys) and beautiful shrine! Lots of trails and a few place to eat or have ice cream! I really enjoyed it and so did my kids!

I sincerely advise anyone who loves hiking to stop here on their journey to Tokyo. It’s not exactly close as it will take you about 90 minutes via public transportation, but you will not regret.
Tokyo can get overwhelming as there are so many people that you might start losing your mind. Which is why it’s perfect to escape the city life and come here for a bit. It’s a hike, but it’s a tourist hike. Having said that, it’s easily one of the best experience I’ve had in my hiking life. The paths are very organized so it’s almost impossible to get lost. Most of the signs are in English as well.
The views and beauty of nature here are all stunning. All the man made stuff is also eye catchers. There was not a single fault that I could find in my time here and I truly wish it didn’t have to end. Alas, it did as all things do. My words can’t begin to describe the feelings I felt here, so I will leave it up to you to experience it as well.
They also have a monkey park here. The monkey’s are pretty outgoing and will enjoy your company as you feed them, or not.

Envie de fuir le béton de Tōkyō et de prendre un bon bol d’air ?
Alors une petite promenade au Mont Takao vous fera le plus grand bien !
Accessible très rapidement en train (une bonne heure), cette montagne vénérée est très appréciée des Japonais. On y accède via le téléphérique ou le funiculaire, et par les chemins de randonnée pour les plus courageux.
Au sommet, un très beau panorama sur la ville de Tōkyō s’offre à vous.
Le Mont Takao reste un lieu de pèlerinage où l’ont vient notamment se présenter au temple Yokuo-​in.
Le Tengu (figure mythique au nez allongé) est le symbole de cette montagne.

This mountain is a nice family trekking spot and is ideal for those who want to get away from the city for a day and take in a great view and get some fresh air. It will not take you away from the crowds however as it is probably one of the popular weekend family destinations that puts you outside with nature without any need of serious climbing equipment. Serious climbers will most likely be disappointed at the paved trails and crowds.