With my visitors being from the ever beautiful and outdoor-friendly Pacific Northwest, they definitely wanted to do a hike while visiting Japan. It kept getting pushed to the bottom of our priorities, which is how we ended up making our climb their last full day in Tokyo.
I chose Mt. Takao because it was only about an hour from my apartment. We got up and out early and hit the train. I was pretty excited to be hiking with Brittany and Amanda. For one, I only started hiking last year when I lost a bunch of weight, and have only been on a couple hikes. Two, they were both pretty experienced and love hiking, so I was in good company!
There are many trails leading up to Takao, and we ended up taking a different one than I took the last time I did the hike. The first time, I recall tons and tons of stairs. This time, it was massively uphill. I didn’t mind, but it got my heart pumping for sure!
Brittany and Amanda taking a water break
Brittany at a lookout point
The new path opened my eyes to new stuff I missed last time- like a monkey habitat!
I really like the Takao hike because there’s so much interesting stuff to see. Shrines, statues, vendors offering food and souvenirs.
Amanda posing with some One Piece characters
Brittany, lover of marine life, posing with an octopus
Admiring monkey and lots of photo taking made for excessive dilly-dallying, but we eventually made it to the top!
See that dip in the middle of the mountains? That’s the snowy peak of Mt. Fuji! Darn the cloud cover!
So, what’s at the top of Mt. Takao? A beer garden! Hikers come and hike, and then enjoy a cold one before heading back down. Who are we to argue with tradition?
Another perfect day with my best friends!
Matching shoes!
Love the idea of beer at the top of the mountain! Those crafty Japanese!
1st thing I noticed was the shoes!