Hikes in Japan: The Mt. Takao Loop Trail (高尾山)

Basic Information

• Name: Mt. Takao Loop Trail (高尾山)
• Where: Hachioji, Japan
• Distance: 4.5 miles (7.2 km)
• Maximum Elevation: 1,965 feet (599 meters)
• Elevation Gain: 1,214 feet (370 meters)
• Time: 2.5-3.5 hours
• Difficulty: Easy
• More Information: 30 Day Hikes Near Tokyo

Google Earth Map of the Trail

Directions

Getting to Mt. Takao is a fairly easy 1 to 1.5 hour drive outside of Tokyo.

There is additionally a train station located at the base of the mountain.  Below is a picture of the Mt. Takao Station:

Parking

There are various pay parking lots located at the base of Mt. Takao.  Expect to pay $10 or more to park in any of these lots during your hike.  Additionally make sure to arrive early because the lots get full quite quickly on weekends and holidays.

Narrative

The Tokyo area is surrounded by many great hikes, but for some reason Mt. Takao which is a relatively modest looking mountain is the most popular day hike.  Part of the reason for its popularity is that Mt. Takao has long been considered a holy mountain due to the Yakuoin Temple complex located on its slopes.  This temple was established in 744 AD on the orders of Emperor Shomu to become the headquarters of Buddhism in eastern Japan.  Another factor that makes this a popular mountain is that the cable car with the steepest grade in the world is located on Mt. Takao.  This cable car makes the hike to the summit much easier.  From the Takao Station area where most people arrive for this hike, it is just a short walk to the cable car station.

It was early morning around 6 AM when I arrived which meant few people were around and the cable car station was closed.  I had no plans to use the cable car and instead power up Mt. Takao the old way, with my feet.  Adjacent to the cable car station is a large signboard that shows the various hiking trails that lead to the summit of Mt. Takao. I planned to take Trail #6 to the summit since it passes near a waterfall and then take Trail #1 back down since it passes through the Yakuoin Temple complex:

Before I headed up the trail I was able to get a picture of the cable car most people use to get up the mountain.  The cable car is operated by the Takao Tozan Railway company.  The cable cars begin operations each day at 0800:

From the station I followed a narrow paved road up into a valley that had a beautiful creek flowing through it:

A few minutes later I came to an intersection with a sign pointing towards Trail #6 that led to the Biwataki Waterfall:

The intersection also had another signboard with maps of Mt. Takao’s trails.  Whatever organization manages Mt. Takao, they do a fantastic job marking its trails so it is almost impossible to get lost here:

From the intersection the trail becomes a standard dirt path through the forest:

Along the way there are various small caves and Buddhist statues that can be checked out:

About a mile up the trail I reached the small shrine at the Biwataki Waterfall:

It was early in the morning so no one was around the temple.  I have read that here monks will sit under the waterfall and meditate.  Even non-monks can apply to do this meditation ritual:

Up on the trail they have a large structure blocking the view of the temple, but fortunately I was tall enough to look over the structure and get this picture of the shrine and waterfall:

From the waterfall the trail continued to follow the small creek deeper into the forest:

About a mile and half into the hike the trail then begins a steep ascent up Mt. Takao.  Fortunately there is a very well maintained wooden staircase for hikers to use:

It was quite the stair workout, but I made quick time getting up the mountain.  I soon passed a sign pointing me in the direction of the summit:

I soon exited the forest and found myself on Mt. Takao’s summit.  There was restroom facilities and small vendors on the summit.  Since it was still before 8:00 AM when the first cable car begins running; there was few people on the summit with me:

The summit of Mt. Takao is designated with this summit marker that depicts its 599 meter elevation:

From the summit marker I walked over to the viewpoint of the Tanzawa Mountains where in the distance the 3,776 meter (12,389 foot) Mt. Fuji:

From Mt. Takao Mt. Fuji looks surprisingly small when from other perspectives in the area it appears so much bigger:

Here is a closer look at Mt. Fuji:

I spent about 30 minutes on the summit taking in the views, drinking some water, and eating a few snacks before deciding to head back down.  From the summit there are various trails that lead either deeper into the mountains or back down Mt. Takao.  I decided to take Trail #1 back down the mountain to be able to see the Yakuoin Temple complex:

The walk over to the temple was on an easy to navigate paved path:

The first religious building I came upon is called the Okunoin Fudo-do Hall:

Here is a picture of a small shrine along the trail called the Fuji Sengen-sha Shrine:

The trail next came to the main temple complex:

This part of the temple is called the Tengusa Shrine:

I always like seeing the intricate artwork on Buddhist temples:

Yakuoin Temple has a wide variety of statues of various deities that can be seen.  Many of these statues are of Tengus which are Japanese goblins.  These Tengus (天狗) are considered spirit guardians of the mountains in Japan.  They are often depicted with swords and stern faces to represent how they are defenders of the mountains.  The Yakuoin Temple complex is a great example of how traditional Japanese beliefs were integrated into Buddhism:

Here is another view of the Tengusa Shrine, which is truly a beautiful temple:

Adjacent to the Tengusa Shrine was a number of small shrines:

For some reason the shrines had a number of statues of foxes which in Japan are called Kitsune (キツネ):

Kitsune in Japan are believed to have magical powers to include being able to shapeshifter into human form:

I am not sure what this shrine is trying to depict in regards to kitsune, but clearly the fox is a central character of worship:

I next descended these stairs to walk over to the main hall of Yakuoin Temple:

As I passed through the entry archway to the main hall I was welcomed by these two Tengus on each side of me:

Here is a view of the main temple hall:

Here is a picture of some of the buildings adjacent to the main hall:

As I walked around the temple complex it felt like I was always being watched due to the high density of statues:

There are Buddha statues of all shapes and sizes located all around the temple complex:

Some of them even have little hats on to help keep them warm:

There was of course plenty of more Tengu statues to see as well.  They must be tougher than the Buddha statues because none of them had hats or scarves on:

I next walked under this archway that served as the main entrance and exit to Yakuoin Temple:

As I continued to walk down the path I passed by this stupa:

The stupa had more Tengen statues in front of it appearing to be defending it:

After I passed the stupa, I walked under this small archway to continue my descent down the mountain:

From there I descended down many staircases as I neared the upper cable car station:

Before reaching the cable car station I passed the Takao-san Monkey Park:

It was still early in the morning so the Monkey Park was closed.  I could hear the monkeys inside, but the only monkey I ended up seeing was this statue:

As I walked further down the trail I started to have some views back towards Tokyo:

A short distance passed the Monkey Park I reached the upper cable car station:

From the upper station I had a nice view looking west:

Right below me I could see the E-20 highway known as the Chou Expressway:

Instead of continuing to follow Trail #1 back to the trailhead I decided to take Trail #2 back down to the Biwataki Waterfall:

Trail #2 is a steep dirt path the quickly descends the mountain:

The only flat ground on this trail was located at a small Buddhist statue park:

The steep descent meant that I found myself quickly back at the Biwataki Waterfall:

There still wasn’t a whole lot of activity when I arrived back at the waterfall other than a couple of guys doing maintenance work around the waterfall:

From the waterfall I then followed Trail #6 back to the trailhead.  I soon reached the intersection with the paved road again:

I followed the paved road back to the village below Mt. Takao:

When I reached the lower cable car station it was now packed with tourists compared to earlier in the morning when no one was there:

With all the shops in the village now open I decided to do a quick walkthrough to see what they had:

Most of the stores had plenty of food and snacks for people to buy:

There was plenty of candy as well for the kids:

From the village I followed the small creek back to where I parked to conclude my hike:

Conclusion

Mt. Takao is one of the most popular trails in the Tokyo area.  If you do this hike early there will be few people on the trail and it is a much more enjoyable experience.  However, after 8:00 AM when the cable car begins service the mountain becomes quickly packed with day trippers.  Overall though a visit to Mt. Takao is a great family hike whether you take the cable car or not.  If doing this by foot it is a less than 5 mile walk with about 1,200 feet (370 meters) of elevation gain.  If you don’t mind the crowds, this is a great introductory walk to experience hiking in Japan and a way to learn more about its religious culture.  This is definitely a hike I recommend checking out.