Mount Takao (or Takaosan) is one of the closest natural recreation areas to central Tokyo, so it’s a popular hiking destination… and during the New Year holiday period at the start of January, it’s more of a festive conga-line of hikers heading up the mountain. Every year about 3 million people make their way to the top of Mount Takao, which is a “three star mountain” in the Michelin Travel Guide and part of the iconic Tokai nature trail that spans 11 prefectures over almost 1,700 km between Tokyo and Mino city in Osaka.
As I alight from the train at Takaosanguchi Station, people swarm out of every carriage, with backpacks and hiking poles, as they head to one of the seven hiking trails on Mount Takao. It’s my last walk on our three week Japan trip, so I’m happy to be out in the mountains one last time!
Up Mount Takao via the Biwa Waterfall Trail (Trail 6)
I avoid the worst of the crowds by taking one of the harder trails up Mount Takao: the Biwa Waterfall Trail follows the Biwataki Stream most of the way up the mountain (it’s also one of the most shaded trails). It initially follows the main road through the village and up past the cablecar station.
The road runs parallel to the cablecar tracks for a short distance, which takes you about halfway up the mountain.
It doesn’t take long to reach the start of the Biwa Waterfall Trail, which stays quite close to the river as it ascends. Despite the popularity of these trails, there’s not one piece of litter on the trail, or in the river. The trail passes the Iwayadaishi Cave which is on the other side of the river: legend has it that the great monk Kobo Daishi took shelter there during a rainstorm and cured a sick mother and her child.
After about 500m, there’s a short side-track to Biwa Waterfall, the most famous spot along Route 6. It is a water dojo, where monks undergo ascetic training.
The main track (Trail 6) continues up past the waterfall (you can see it without doing the short detour) as it continues to ascend Mount Takao, traversing a section of exposed cedar roots.
The trail is fairly shaded, passing under some impressively tall trees.
Just after the stand of tall trees is an even more shaded, ferny section.
About two thirds of the way up is the small Oyama Bridge, named after the fact that long ago this was a path used by worshippers to get to the sacred Mount Oyama.
Trail 6 soon reaches a set of stepping stones which are in the river bed; this is the “Water Course” which is a bit wet and slippery, although there is very little flowing water.
The last section of the track is well constructed but steep, with several sets of stairs through the forest.
Mount Takao summit
All of the trails meet the Summit Loop Trail just below the peak, with a paved road completing the hike to the top of the mountain.
Mount Takao has been a sacred place for over 1,000 years, and the summit area of the 599m high peak is a busy and social area, with many restaurants and souvenir shops, and sweeping views. (There’s also an impressive Buddhist temple along Trail 1 just below the summit – Yakuo-in – which was established in 744 by the priest Gyoki.)
I’ve given up the idea of a quiet hike some time ago, and embrace the fact that after hiking for about an hour and a half up a beautiful nature trail, I can enjoy a cold drink – and a bowl of soba.
At the far end of the summit area is the most spectacular view, of Mount Fuji with the Shining Flower Ferris Wheel on its foothills.
Along the ridge to Mount Kagenobu
I’ve still got most of the day to hike, so I continue along the ridge beyond Mount Takao: the trail continues over Mount Shiro (Shiroyama) and Mount Kagenobu (Kagenobuyama) to Mount Jinba (Jinbayama). If I had been a little more organised, I could have taken a bus to the Mount Jinba Trailhead (Wada Pass) and done this as one-way walk… The trail is well signposted, as it continues past many groups of picnickers enjoying the views of Mount Fuji.
The trail drops into saddle between Mount Takao and Momijidai (the next small peak).
The trail soon reaches Momijidai, where there is a a clearing filled with 80-year-old Japanese maples and a lookout platform with views towards Tokyo to the east, and of Mount Fuji to the south-west.
The trail now dips a little before climbing again through tall forest.
A small clearing with a bench offers a great view of Lake Sagami below; the artificial lake was created in 1947 by the damming of the Sagami River. It’s used for for recreational and hydroelectric purposes., and was used as the venue for canoeing events at the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
The next stop is Mount Shiro (670m), where there is another hut serving cold drinks and hot noodles and a busy picnic area.
From Mount Shiro the trail traverses the Kobotoke Pass, descending a little to a small clearing on a saddle that offers one of the best views of the Tokyo city skyline.
From the saddle, the trail climbs quite steeply up to the highest point on the walk, through a forest of tall fir trees.
Just before reaching Mount Kagenobu there’s a glimpse of the Chuo Expressway to the south, a national expressway which connects Tokyo and Nagoya. A long stretch of this motorway crosses the mountains via multiple tunnels, one of which was the site of a serious accident in 2012 when a section of the tunnel collapsed, killing nine people.
Mount Kagenobu (727m) is as far as I’m going today; I enjoy a short break here enjoying the expansive views – although the outlook is not as spectacular as some of the other peaks.
I’m not surprised to find there’s a small mountain hut serving soba and drinks, and I buy a cold drink before heading back the same way. (From here it would be another 7km to the bus stop at Wada Pass via Mount Dodoko and Mount Jinba, or about 8km back to where I started.)
The return trip is a little easier and quicker, and I see a lot less people between Mount Kagenobu and Mount Shiro.
There’s some more nice views of Fuji on the section between Mount Shiro and Mount Takao.
Descending Mount Takao via Inariyama Trail
I take a different route to descend Mount Takao, veering onto Trail 5 (the Summit Loop) to bypass the peak, and then onto the Inariyama Trail.
The Inariyama Trail, originally created as a forestry road, follows the south ridge of Mount Takao. Near the top are 200 steps.
About halfway down is the Inariyama Observatory (Azumaya), a viewing platform.
From here there are expansive views towards Tokyo.
There are lots more steps as the trail descends the ridge.
Amost directly below the ridge is the Takaosan Toll Gate and the spaghetti-like junction of two freeways.
The Inariyama Trail meets the road just next to the bottom cable car station; from here it’s a short walk back to the Takaosanguchi Station.
The loop up to the Mount Takao and back via the Biwa Waterfall Trail (Trail 6) and Inariyama Trail takes about three hours; extending this to Mount Kagenobu makes this about a six hour walk. You could walk start/finish at Mount Jinba in six hours.
The Mount Takao Summit trails
The summit of Mount Takao is located at 599m and there are five hiking routes to the top, of which three start at the foot of the mountain:
- Omotesando Trail (Trail 1) – 3.8km. Most popular and easiest trail, which passes the Yakuo-in Temple as well as the Monkey Park, Wild Plant Garden and a famous cedar tree. You can walk from the bottom or take the the cable-car about halfway up.
- Katsura Grove Trail (Trail 3) – 2.4km. A less busy route that goes up the middle of the mountain; it is accessed from Trail 1.
- Suspension Bridge Trail (Trail 4) – 1.5km. A popular course up the north side of Mount Takao, which crosses a river via a suspension bridge (Miyami Bridge). It is also accessed from Trail 1.
- Biwataki Falls Trail (Trail 6) – 3.3km. A shaded trail from the base of the mountain, which follows a river for most of its length and passes the Biwataki Falls.
- Inariyama Trail – 3.1km. Arguably the hardest course, it follows a ridge to the south of the summit, passing the Inariyama Observatory which has great views. Lots of steps.
The Summit Loop Trail (Trail 5) is a paved road that goes around the base of the summit, connecting all the other trails.
Getting to Mount Takao
It’s easy to reach Mount Takao from Tokyo, via either the Chuo Line (JR Line) or Keio Line from Shinjuku station which takes about 50min to reach Takaosanguchi Station and has frequent services. You can hike from the station, or take the cable car about halfway up the mountain before continuing on foot.
To do a one-walk walk from Wada Pass / Mount Jinba – which is about 15km and six hours walking – take the bus to Jinba kogen shita from opposite the Takaosanguchi Station. It runs hourly.
More information
- Mt Takao Pocket Map [PDF] – maps, list of shops and lots of useful info. Best to print this.
- Takao Nature and Hiking Trail Map [PDF]
- Mt Takao Magazine – Trail 6
- Mt Takao Magazine – Inariyama Trail
2 Comments
Mary June · February 29, 2024 at 8:54 pm
You seem to get into the depths of these sites in Japan in regards to both off the foreigner tourist route and also seem to have a deep knowledge of the history, Japanese naming etc. Do you speak the language or can we do these things without it?
oliverd :-) · February 29, 2024 at 9:34 pm
I studied Japanese at school… 35-odd years ago. Can only remember a few words now. I mainly use AllTrails to find/plan hikes, and then I resrearch them online afterwards to try and better understand what I’ve seen! It’s pretty easy to get around without speaking the language.