Mt Takao: Tokyo's Mountain

Train: Take the Keio Line Limited Express from Shinjuku (Keio) to Takaosanguchi Station. It's 50 minutes with no transfer and costs about ¥400. Limited Expresses run often. The faster "Keio Liner" needs a reserved seat and saves a few minutes. Suica or any IC card works. Keio Shinjuku Station is a separate building from JR Shinjuku, so leave the JR gates and look for the Keio entrance on the south side.

Takaosanguchi Station is at the foot of the mountain. The cable car station, the chairlift, and the trailheads for Routes 1 and 6 are all within a five-minute walk of the exit.

By car: Route 20 west from central Tokyo takes about 90 minutes, depending on traffic. There's parking near the base, but it fills fast on weekends and is often full by 8am in autumn. Take the train.

Mt Takao has six numbered trails. Most visitors take Route 1, and most of them would be happier on something else.

Route 1 (Omotesando): 3.8km, about 100 minutes up and 80 minutes down. It's paved for most of the way, lined with souvenir shops and food stalls, and goes straight through Yakuo-in Temple. Pick it if you want the temple, the cable car combination, or the simplest climb. It's also far and away the most crowded, and on autumn weekends it's basically a slow queue.

Route 4: The best trail for most people who want more than pavement. It runs alongside Route 1 through mixed forest, crosses a suspension bridge about halfway up, and joins Route 1 near the summit. It starts near the mid-mountain cable car station rather than at the base, so it covers the upper part of the climb, and it's much quieter. The trees give good shade in summer. If you're reasonably fit and hiking up a paved shopping street doesn't appeal much, take this one.

Route 6 (Biwa Waterfall): 3.3km, about 100 minutes up and 80 minutes down. It follows a stream bed through the thickest forest on the mountain and passes Biwa Waterfall in the lower half. It's unpaved, with stepping stones across the stream in a few places. Of the three main routes it's the quietest, and it's the one that feels most like an actual hike. It's one-way going up, so come down on Route 1 or Route 4.

Cable car / chairlift hybrid: The cable car (6 minutes, ¥490 one-way per adult) or the chairlift (12 minutes, about the same price) takes you from the base to the Takaosan Station area mid-mountain. From there it's about 30 minutes on foot to the summit. This suits families with small children, anyone with limited mobility, and anyone who wants the summit view and the temple more than the hike.

The Kobotoke-Shiroyama extension: Past the Mt Takao summit, the ridge trail carries on 4.3km to Kobotoke-Shiroyama (670m), a quieter peak with its own views. It adds about two hours, and foot traffic falls off sharply once you're past the summit.

Yakuo-in is a large part of why Mt Takao holds three Michelin Green Guide stars, and it's worth more than a quick look.

The temple was founded in 744 AD on the orders of Emperor Shomu. The monk Gyoki set it up as a place to pray for the protection of the eastern provinces. Its formal name is Takaosan Yakuoin Yukiji. In 1376 the monk Shungen revived it and enshrined its principal deity, Izuna Daigongen, shown as a karasu-tengu (crow-nosed goblin) riding a white fox. That's where all the Tengu on the mountain come from: the long-nosed guardians at the gate, the Tengu statues along the approach, the Tengu-branded food stalls.

Yakuo-in belongs to the Shingon-shu Chisan-ha sect, one of Japan's major schools of esoteric Buddhism, the same affiliation as Naritasan Shinshoji Temple and Kawasaki Daishi, both big pilgrimage sites. The tradition treats the mountain itself as sacred ground, which is part of why you'll see religious practitioners (yamabushi) on the trails alongside the hikers.

On the approach, look for the Sanmon Gate at the foot of the main stairs, with four celestial guardians carved in unpainted zelkova wood. Above it, the Nio-mon (Deva Gate) guards the main hall complex. The Tengu no Koshikake Sugi, a cedar the Tengu are said to perch in, stands on the right of the path before the main hall. The temple grounds are free. The main hall is closed to the general public, but the rest of the complex, the cedar-lined approach, and the guardian figures are open all day.

The summit is 599 metres up, high enough for views over the Kanto plain and low enough that almost anyone can get there. The viewing platform looks west toward Mt Fuji and north over Tokyo's outer suburbs.

Whether you see Fuji is down to the weather. Cold, dry air, usually November through February, gives the clearest views. Summer is almost always hazy, and the mountain vanishes into the moisture even on sunny days. The visitor centre at the summit posts a daily Fuji visibility indicator, so you don't have to guess. January and February have the best odds of a clear view, and they're also the quietest months on the mountain.

Up top there are several places to eat, a gift shop, and seating. The observation deck is on the northwest side of the plateau. On a clear day the view west from Kobotoke-Shiroyama is arguably better: fewer people, a little more height, and a wider view. It costs you the extra two hours.

From late June to late October, the mid-mountain Takaosan Station area (about 488 metres) runs Beer Mount, an open-air beer garden with an all-you-can-eat buffet and unlimited drinks, on terrace benches looking out over the Kanto plain.

2025 season: June 28 to October 26, closed September 8–12 for maintenance. Hours are 13:00–21:00 (last order 20:45). On Beer Mount days the cable car's last run moves to 21:15.

Pricing: ¥5,000 per adult for 2 hours of unlimited food and drink. Extensions are charged per person after that. You don't need a reservation on weekdays. Weekend evenings in August and September fill up fast, and people start queuing for entry tickets before it opens.

The food is buffet izakaya fare, things like edamame, grilled items, fried chicken, and rice dishes, with beer, soft drinks, and chu-hi (canned cocktails). Up here it really is cooler on a summer evening, when the city below runs 4–5°C warmer.

Not many mountains this easy to reach from a big city end the day with a proper sit-down meal and a cold beer at 488 metres, with a cable car to take you there. We like it a lot.

Spring (late March through May): Cherry blossoms open at the base in late March and last into mid-April along the trail. Spring air is clearer than summer air, so the Fuji views are better than you might expect. Crowds are moderate except at peak cherry blossom, when weekends fill up.

Summer (June through August): Fuji disappears into haze, the lower trails get hot, and Beer Mount is open. The stream sections of Route 6 stay cool. Weekday mornings are fine; weekend middays are unpleasant. Starting early matters most in summer.

Autumn (mid-October through December): Peak foliage usually falls in mid-to-late November. In 2024 the best colour ran November 22 through December 3. The Momiji Matsuri (Maple Festival) runs from late October to early December, with food stalls and events at the base. This is also when Mt Takao gets truly overcrowded, with cable car waits of 90 to 120 minutes on weekends and the Route 1 approach to Yakuo-in sometimes packed shoulder to shoulder. Early November (the 1st through 15th) gets you early colour before the weekend crush peaks. If you're coming at peak foliage, come on a weekday.

Winter (January through February): The best Fuji views of the year and the smallest crowds. Dress in layers, because the summit sits around 2–4°C on cold days. Trail 1 is fine in normal footwear except after snow, but Routes 4 and 6 can be icy. With empty trails and clear views, January may be the best month of all.

What ruins most visits is the 10am to 1pm window on weekends. On a weekday, before 10am or after 1pm, it feels like a different mountain.

Get to Takaosanguchi before 9am. Take the first cable car of the day (service starts at 8am), or start up Route 1 or Route 6 from the base straight away. That puts you at the summit before the trains from Shinjuku fill with the main wave of visitors. When the 10am crowd reaches the cable car queue, you're already at the top with an empty trail behind you.

On autumn weekends at peak foliage, 9am isn't early enough. Aim for 7:30–8am, or go on a Tuesday or Wednesday, when it's reliably quieter than any weekend.

Your route matters too. Routes 4 and 6 get a small fraction of Route 1's traffic even at peak times. If you're there for the hike and not specifically the temple approach, either one will give you that.

Regulars also come down a different way than they went up. On busy days the cable car queue going down is almost always longer than the one going up. Walking down Route 1 from the summit takes 70–80 minutes and skips it completely.

A standard Takao day from Tokyo: Shinjuku (Keio) 7:50am → Takaosanguchi 8:40am → Route 6 ascent → summit by 11am → Yakuo-in on descent via Route 1 → lunch at summit or mid-mountain food stalls → cable car down → Takaosanguchi station 2:30pm → Shinjuku 3:20pm.

For a Beer Mount evening, go up mid-afternoon by cable car or Route 1, watch the sunset from the observation deck, eat at Beer Mount from 6pm to 8pm, and catch the last cable car at 21:15. You'll be in Shinjuku by 10pm.

For a winter Fuji day, take the first Limited Express from Shinjuku after 8am and climb Route 1 in the morning light. Reach the summit by 10:30am for the clearest views, head down by noon, and you're back in Tokyo for a 2pm lunch.

Infinite Tokyo can take any custom day trip shape, including Takao combined with the Sagamiko area, the Hachioji castle ruins, or a longer Okutama extension.

Do I need to book the cable car in advance? No. The cable car and chairlift are walk-up only, with no reservations, so you wait like everyone else. Before 9am on a weekday you shouldn't wait at all. On peak autumn weekends, expect 60–90 minutes for the cable car. If you're reasonably fit, walking up Route 1 from the base is always faster than that queue.

Can I hike Mt Takao in normal shoes? Route 1 is fully paved, and any shoes will do. Routes 4 and 6 have unpaved stretches, stream crossings, and roots, so wear trainers or trail shoes. After snow any trail can ice over; take the cable car or bring traction aids. In summer the paths are dry and grip isn't a problem.

Is the Beer Mount worth it? Yes, if you're there between late June and late October and like the idea of an outdoor buffet with beer. ¥5,000 for two hours, everything included, is fair by Tokyo standards. The height keeps summer evenings cool, the view across the Kanto plain toward the city beats most rooftop bars, and it's more memorable when you've hiked up for it. Go on a weekday to avoid the queue that weekend evenings sometimes bring.

When is the best time to see Mt Fuji from the summit? January and February have the clearest views, with cold dry air, low humidity, and very little haze. The first half of November is good too. The visitor centre at the summit posts a same-day Fuji visibility update. From June through September it's almost always hazy, however clear the sky looks from Tokyo.

Can I visit Mt Takao as part of a private tour? Yes. Infinite Tokyo is made for this: a fully custom day trip that pairs Mt Takao with nearby stops like the Hachioji castle ruins, the Sagamiko lakefront, or a sake brewery in Okutama. The guide sorts out the transport timing, picks the trail to suit your group's fitness and interests, and gives you enough background on Yakuo-in that it's more than a photo stop.