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!
