Mount Takao – an easy day trip from Tokyo!

When you google ‘day trips from Tokyo’ you’ll often find posts on Hakone, Nikko, and maybe even Kamakura, but one of the best day trips is closer than any of these places – and much less well known. Enter Mount Takao, or Takaosan, a 599m high mountain with a temple ‘village’ (of sorts) and some… interesting transportation.

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Getting to Takaosan

To get to Takaosan you’ll need to take the Keio line which runs from its main Tokyo terminal at Shinjuku to Takaosanguchi. (There is a previous stop called Takaosan, it’s not that one!) On the Keio line it’s a direct route and you don’t need to buy any special tickets for most of the trains (although it’s worth making sure you’re not in a reserved car when you don’t have a ticket for one). I just used my IC card and it was only 390 Yen (£2.50/$3) one way. 

There are local trains which are slower (~1 hour 10 minutes), limited express trains (60 minutes, I took this option on the way back) and rapid liner trains. (I didn’t bother with the rapid liner train as I didn’t want the hassle of having to potentially sort out a seat reservation). It says which kind of train you’re about to board on both the timetable display and on the train itself; and it’s in English as well as Japanese. 

Take the cable car – or chairlift if you dare!

Once you’ve reached Takaosanguchi (which pretty much translates as ‘entrance to Mount Takao’) it’s a short walk to the Takaotozan cable car/chairlift terminal. If you’re hungry there’s a stall selling dango (a sweet dumpling a bit like mochi) and there are also some gift shops and restaurants in the vicinity. 

The chairlift and cable car options share the same terminal but the ticket machines and entrances to both are separate. It’s easy to tell where you need to go though.

The cable car and the chairlift options both cost 490 Yen (around £3/$4) each way, or 950 Yen both ways. I originally wanted to get the chairlift up and the cable car down but the queue for the cable car on the way back was huge so I ended up taking the chairlift both ways.  It takes 6 minutes by cable car and 12 minutes by chairlift. 

Ascend on the chairlift

The chairlift is so much fun! As there are nets or built-up pathways beneath you at all times it never feels like you’re too high off the ground either. (However, on the way back it can get a bit hairy as you realise just how far you’ve travelled up the mountain! The views are great though).

Being gently carried up is a lovely experience. Again, although there’s a net underneath you, you can see just how tall some of the surrounding trees are. If you’re lucky enough to go in Autumn the brightly coloured leaves are absolutely gorgeous too.

At the top, you’re good to go to start walking along trail no.1, which incorporates the main sights and is not too onerous. Overall, trail no.1 takes around 40 minutes to get to the viewpoint but because there’s so much to see on the way it definitely doesn’t feel that long. 

Along the route there are plenty of places to stop off for a bite to eat.

See some Japanese macaques

The first main stop off is the Monkey Park and wildflower garden (you can visit both using the same ticket). I had visited the snow monkey park in Nagano the previous week so didn’t spend a whole lot of time here, but I thought I’d go anyway to see what it was like.

There’s not a whole lot to it but if you’re not able to get to Nagano it’s worth a visit (and it’s only a couple of £/$ to visit). 

There’s a large enclosure behind tinted glass and a rooftop where you can see the monkeys and toss food at them. Although I was there in December there were still some babies and seeing them tumble around and play with one another was very cute! When I visited the keeper was giving a talk although of course it was all in Japanese. 

There’s an option to pay extra to see some sort of monkey trick show but that didn’t really sit well with me – I gave that a miss. 

Also in the same park there is a wildflower garden which took about 15 minutes to go round, although you’ll no doubt need longer in the Spring and Summer months to admire all the flowers.

Visit the temple complex

I knew there was  a temple on the way up to Takaosan’s summit, but I wasn’t expecting a little temple ‘village’ of sorts!

Yakuoin was originally established in 744 by Emperor Shomu and is one of the sacred sites of Shingon Buddhism. As you enter Yakuoin you’ll pass through the Sanmon gate which, like many temples, has fabric draped across in white, yellow, green, purple and red. 

Through the gate there are lots of little prayer spots, including a golden pencil which I guess is supposed to give you good luck in your studies. There are also some very cool statues of tengu, supernatural beings who are said to protect the mountain and convey messages from the gods. (Kurama near Kyoto has a similar statue). 

It really does have a village feel as you walk along the path, passing by typical temple stalls selling omamori (amulets) and omikuji, which you can find out more about here. You can also purchase incense and Japanese snacks, too. 

At the top of the stairs is the main temple, and some smaller shrine buildings. From there it’s about a 15 minute walk to the top of Takaosan.

Reach the summit of Takaosan

After seeing all of the above, reaching the summit of Takaosan feels a little underwhelming. However, the views are absolutely spectacular and you can take some amazing photographs! When I was there people were even having picnics.

Coming down

To get back to the cable car/ chairlift you just take exactly the same route you take coming up. From the cable car/ chairlift terminal, you can take in the views on the way down, grab some souvenirs from the shops near the terminal, and make your way back to Takaosanguchi for the ride home.