Fall Colors 2014 & Mt. Takao

One of the most popular outdoor hiking opportunities near Tokyo is climbing Mount Takao (高尾山) in Hachiōji, Tokyo. For most people who want to enjoy some fresh air away from the city but want an easy, family-friendly activity, it's the perfect place. Recently, I decided to make a second excursion to the mountain to see the beautiful fall colors.

Located just an hour outside of downtown Tokyo and easy to find, it's very convenient to make a casual day trip there. The mountain is not very tall, standing just under 600 meters (about 2000 ft) tall, and features a number of clearly marked, easy-to-navigate trails. One of the main trails is also paved, making it great for older folks, really young families, and so on. But as a result of all the conveniences, the mountain can get extremely busy at times.

Personally, I've never taken the paved route up because it's not nearly as interesting as the other trails--which are also much less crowded. Either way, you can be sure to enjoy nature there.

The many opportunities to see Fall colors is definitely one of my favorite aspects of Japan;  and Japanese people have a pretty special appreciation for nature's process.

Mt. Takao is protected as part of the Meiji no Mori Takao Quasi-National Park. It's worth mentioning that at the base of the mountain is the Tama Forest Science Garden, towards the summit is a Buddhist Temple, called Takaosan Yakuōin Yūkiji. At the top, there are a variety of small food stalls to get something to eat, as well as decent bathroom facilities. It can get very busy at the top, so you can't necessarily expect to relax with some peace and quiet up there. But there are some decent views, including one of Mt. Fuji is the sky is very clear. Although it's never been clear enough to see Mt. Fuji on the days I've gone, I've still been able to get in some nice views.

If you're looking for an easy hike near Tokyo and you don't want to worry about preparing anything, this is one of the best options. But it's definitely not the only place to go. There are tons of hiking opportunities near Tokyo which are sometimes more for experience hikers but offer substantially much better views and more solitude with nature. I've been doing a lot of hiking lately, so soon in the next couple months I'll be publishing a few entries about other less popular, but awesome mountain hikes I've done. Get out and enjoy the great outdoors!

Smart Illumination Yokohama 2014

In early November, I went to a really neat event called Smart Illumination Yokohama (スマートイルミネーション横浜) located in the Minato Mirai area of Yokohama City. Starting in 2011, the yearly art event showcases energy-efficient lighting technology in creative and artistic ways as a way to promote green technology for the future. It makes for a some very interesting and beautiful night scenery and is pretty cool to check out. Artists from Japan and overseas participate and feature a wide variety of art and lighting displays. This year international artists from Korea and China were featured. 

I think my favorite aspect of this event was the cool-blue, mellow atmosphere throughout. The illuminations were not like the intense, super-bright and vivid lights as you see in Shinjuku, but rather soft, pale, and quite relaxing. The crowds of people even seemed to stroll with an gentle pace that I often do not see here.

The event is held in various locations that include: Zou-no-Hana Park, Yamashita Park, Minato Mirai, and the surrounding areas. Here is the official website (Japanese) for the latest information about the event.

October Highlights (Part 3): Halloween 2015

This year's Halloween was great fun; I had work during the day at one of my high schools and afterwards went out around the city with some friends. At this particular school, students were allowed to dress up and given the chance most of them loved to do so. The students also got a kick out of the fact that I kind of dressed up too; I was a cowboy/western sheriff, which has essentially been my go-to costume for the past couple years. This kind of freedom is highly unusual in Japanese schools, so I really enjoyed it!

Scary mask but he was working diligently!

I let them enjoy their costumes as long as they were doing their work

They insisted we do a group photo after class :-)

Later after my work finished, I met up with some friends downtown to celebrate. We went out for some drinks and also go to see a lot of the sights and sounds of Halloween in Tokyo. In Roppongi, it was absolutely crazy; I don't even know how to describe it! Unfortunately I didn't have my camera, but here are a few pictures from my phone of the evening there:

Halloween in Roppongi is pretty wild

Doesn't look like much here, but very creepy in person 

Cosplay is very popular here, Halloween is just another excuse to do it!

October Highlights (Part 2): Yamato Fest & Hikichigawa Park

Yamato International Festival

A couple weekends later I was looking for something interesting to do when I heard about the Yamato InternationalFestival. In Japanese, the annual event is called Yamato Sekai Ryōri no Yatai-Mura (やまと世界料理の屋台村, lit. “Yamato World Cuisine Food Village”). It’s held in the city of Yamato (大和市) in Kanagawa Prefecture next to Tokyo, which I’ve read is known for it’s cultural diversity. 

It looks busier in the photo than it actually was

The event was set up right next to the train station so it was very easy to find. It was smaller than I expected, and upon walking around a bit I felt like it was a quite charming actually. 

A walkway near the festival area has many cute decorations

The focus of the event was the international cuisine offered by small food stalls (yatai) representing various countries including India, Peru, South Korea, Thailand, and more. There was also a small “stage area” where musical and dance performances went on throughout the day, including acts such as American Andean panpipes, Spanish flaminco, Okinawan performances, and others.

Jazz performance by a Japanese group

I forget what performance this was, but it was cool

Hawaiian dance is quite popular in Japan, children also join oftentimes

Hikichigawa Park

I spent a very nice afternoon at the park

After I had ate some Peruvian food, watched some performances, and snapped some photos, I decided to explore the town a little. I noticed on my map that there was some large green area not far from the station. The weather was nice and the sun was shinning, so I headed over by foot. What I found was an expansive park, which I believe is called Hikichigawa Park andForest of Friendship (引地川公園ふれあいの森, Hikichigawa Kōen Fureainomori). At first it seemed like a pretty typical park but as I explored further I discovered some very nice areas of the park developed with large sections of pretty flowers. I think I better make a trip back here in the spring though; I’ve read that thousands of pink flowers called phlox subulata bloom there.

I had fun exploring

October Highlights (Part 1): Nakano Central Park Event

October was the month in which I finally started to really get settled into my new life here in Tokyo. During the first few months, my money was so tight that I simply couldn't afford to go out much and explore. The weather was generally very good in October, so I tried to spend a lot of time outside even if it was just walking around my neighborhood.

Nakano "Bustling Four Seasons Forest Park" Event

A lively and fun atmosphere at Nakano Central Park 

One warm afternoon early in the month, I went for a casual walk to a nearby park. As I got closer I noticed a growing number of people heading in the same direction, and I knew something was going on. It turned out to be a pretty cool festival, called the Nakano Shikinomori Koen Nigiwai Event (中野四季の森公園にぎわいイベント). Nakano is the name of this part of Tokyo (one of Tokyo's special wards); shikinomori koen is the name of the park and translates to "Four Seasons Forest Park;" and nigiwai basically means "bustling" or "lively." It's actually a bit confusing because the larger park area is actually called Nakano Central Park (中野セントラルパーク).

Very cool to see: an older couple dancing salsa like no one is watching

I was seriously surprised to randomly come across this event without knowing about it, but nevertheless I definitely enjoyed it! It really was bustling; the park always has a very nice atmosphere as it's a prime destination for young families with kids. Whether there's an event or nothing special, I love going to this park just to see all the happy kids running around and playing games.

A young girl walking with her balloons bobbling behind her

The event spanned two days and featured a wide assortment of food, entertainment, music, and all the other festival things you'd expect. There are often various events at the park, but I think this must be one of the major ones each year; it wouldn't surprise me if this was the most popular local community event of the year. The website I linked to above has details about the performances and various vendors, but here's a few more pictures of the event below.

A small skate park was set up near the station and park

Music performances went on through the night