Mount Takao
A 599-meter peak some 50 kilometers from central Tokyo, awarded three Michelin stars alongside Mt. Fuji in 2007. A cable car or chair lift carries you halfway up.
Highlights
1. TAKAO 599 MUSEUMA free museum about four minutes on foot from Takaosanguchi Station. Projection mapping brings a beech tree and the animals around it onto the wall, alongside insect specimens.
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2. Cable Car and Echo LiftFrom Kiyotaki Station, the cable car or the Echo Lift chair lift carries you halfway up. The cable car takes on Japan's steepest grade, 31 degrees 18 minutes, and reaches Takaosan Station in about six minutes.
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3. Takao Monkey Park and The Wild Plant GardenAbout three minutes on foot from Takaosan Station at the top of the cable car. Japanese macaques live in the monkey park, and the garden holds some 300 species of wild mountain plants.
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4. Tako-sugiA cedar on the approach to Yakuo-in, about five minutes on foot from Takaosan Station, and a designated natural monument of Hachioji City. Its exposed roots resemble the legs of an octopus (tako), hence the name.
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5. Takaosan Yakuo-inFounded in 744 by the monk Gyoki, this is a head temple of the Chisan school of Shingon Buddhism. Step through the temple gate and tengu statues and the main hall come into view.
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6. Mount Takao SummitThe broad 599-meter summit holds a triangulation point, the Takao Visitor Center and teahouses. It is on the list of "100 Views of Mount Fuji from the Kanto Region," and on clear days Fuji itself comes into view.
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7. Keio Takaosan Onsen GokurakuyuA bathhouse right next to Takaosanguchi Station, with an open-air rock bath fed by natural hot spring water from about 1,000 meters underground.
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Things to book
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Getting there
| From Shinjuku | Take the Keio Line to Takaosanguchi Station. On weekends and holidays the reserved-seat Mt.TAKAO runs from Shinjuku to Takaosanguchi, with a seat ticket required on top of the fare. Check fares and times on Keio's route search. |
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| From Takaosanguchi | Kiyotaki Station, at the foot of the cable car, is about a five-minute walk. The ride up to Takaosan Station takes about six minutes, 490 yen one way for adults. |
| Takaosan Kippu | A Keio ticket that bundles the round-trip train fare from any Keio or Inokashira Line station with the cable car or chair lift. From Shinjuku, adults pay 1,450 yen with the ride both ways or 1,090 yen with one way. It is not sold at Takaosanguchi Station itself. |
Hotels
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