Mt. Takao & Around - climb above the capital

Take a mountain break at Tokyo's Mt. Takao

Clean the city air out of your lungs and take a daytrip to Mt. Takao. A highly accessible mountain with hiking trails, a cable car, and chairlift, so everyone can reach the summit with relative ease. From the top of the mountain to the base, enjoy eating, drinking, browsing museums and taking hot spring dips.

How to Get There

Your access point for Mt. Takao and the surrounding area is Takaosanguchi Station on the Keio Line.

From Haneda Airport: Two hours five minutes by limousine bus, or one hour 55 minutes by train.
From Narita Airport: Two hours 40 minutes by limousine bus, or two hours 55 minutes by train.
From Shinjuku Station: Take the Semi Limited Express train on the Keio Line to Takaosanguchi Station. Travel time: About 55 minutes.
From Tokyo Station: Take the JR Chuo Line and transfer at Takao Station to the Keio Takao Line to Takaosanguchi Station. Travel time: One hour 25 minutes.

The main attraction

Mt. Takao is right before your eyes as soon as you get off the train at Takaosanguchi Station. There are a number of ways to make your way to the top, including numbered hiking trails of varying difficulty, a cable car, and a chairlift that transports you half way up the mountain. This means that whether you are traveling with children, older people, or companions who are less keen on mountain treks, everybody can enjoy the mountain air, beautiful nature and impressive views.

Celebrate when you reach the summit with some lunch in the mountain-top restaurant, or if you are hiking between June and October, a beer in the highest beer garden in Tokyo. If you want to avoid the crowds, especially in fall when the area dazzles with autumn color, plan to visit on a weekday.

Temple at the top, art at the bottom

You will know you are near the summit when you reach Takaosan Yakuo Temple. Stop by to pray for some good fortune and spot the statues of the long-nosed, red-faced mountain gods—or Tengu—dotted around the temple.

The TAKAO 599 MUSEUM—named after the height of the mountain—houses distinctive visuals and exhibits based on the theme of Mt. Takao and its flora and fauna. Wander around the light and breezy museum and rest your feet for a while in the indoor café or the outdoor lawn area. Located a four-minute walk from Takaosanguchi Station, the museum makes a good start or end point for your trip. Entrance is free.

Photo / Taiji Yamazaki

Photo / Taiji Yamazaki

Hot bath before heading back

Finish off your Mt. Takao trip with a dip in the indoor and outdoor pools of Keio Takaosan Onsen Gokurakuyu. Located at the base of the mountain, you can easily access the hot spring bathhouse for a soak, to heat up in saunas and fill up on a hearty bowl of soba noodles.