Takaosan (Mount Takao)

What to know

Mount Takao (Takaosan) is one of the closest natural getaways from central Tokyo, offering scenic beauty, a historic temple, and great hiking. Though outside the city center, it lies within metropolitan Tokyo and is just a 50-minute, 430-yen train ride from Shinjuku.

A network of numbered trails climbs the slopes of Takaosan. Most visitors take Trail 1, a broad, mostly paved path that passes all major sights as it winds to the 599-meter summit. Other trails are narrower, unpaved, and far less crowded. The hike up Trail 1 takes about 90 minutes from the base, but you can cut that time in half by taking the cable car or chairlift halfway up.

Near the cable car's top station, an observation deck offers views over Tokyo, while the summit reveals Mount Fuji on clear days. Beyond the summit, an even larger network of trails connects to the many peaks of nearby Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park.

Considered a sacred mountain, Takaosan has been a center of mountain worship for over 1,000 years. Yakuoin, an attractive temple, stands near the summit along the trail. Many visitors stop to pray to Shinto-Buddhist mountain gods (tengu) for good fortune. Statues of the gods—one with a long nose, one with a crow's beak—can be found at the temple and elsewhere on the mountain.

Another attraction along Trail 1 is a monkey park. Its glass-walled enclosure houses about 40 Japanese macaques that perform shows throughout the day. A wildflower garden with 500 plant species is also part of the park and can be visited with the same admission ticket.

At the base of the mountain behind the railway station, you'll find Keio Takaosan Onsen Gokurakuyu, a hot spring bathhouse with gender-segregated baths. There's also the Takao 599 Museum, a free nature museum about Mount Takao's ecology. Takaosanguchi Station, renovated in 2015, features a beautiful timber canopy and wood-paneled passageways designed by renowned architect Kuma Kengo.