Report on TENGU Tour held on 21 April 2024

 

Irrespective of a more pessimistic weather forecast, eventually, the weather was reasonably OK while the moisture in the air prevented us from enjoying a clear view from the mountain and Mt. Fuji was hiding in the clouds.

 Having said that, otherwise, we were extremely lucky as Sunday, 21 April was the Takao Spring Festival Day in which our guests (and ourselves) were able to enjoy rich nature and a gorgeous festival at the same time.

Our guests were seven (7) Filipino ladies and one (1) Kenyan gentleman both of who have been staying in Japan for a while, three (3) months (Filipino ladies) and 8 years (a Kenyan gentleman), respectively.

TENGU team included Nabe-san, Nosan-san, Rie-san and myself as a tour leader.  

 In addition, two (2) observers joined the tour as potential future TENGU members which made our tour members four-teen (14) people in total.

We took a cable car leaving Kiyotaki Station at 10:00 am after we introduced to each other, then followed Trail 1 via Yuki-en (Joyful Garden) where a photogenic Thai style white stupa is located to the peak of the mountain going through the grounds of Yakuo-in Temple.

 It was an eventful day at Mt. Takao and our guests (and ourselves) witnessed a lot of special events including a procession of children dressed in colorful costume led by a group of mountain priests and a bras band from the cable car Takaosan Station to Yakuo-in Temple, Japanese drum performance, a lion dance (a dance with a lion’s mask), etc.

If we could have more time, we should have been able to watch a mysterious Goma Fire Ritual held in the open air at Yuki-en just twice a year.

Consequently, we spent much longer time than usual before we had lunch together at the peak of the mountain, which was originally scheduled around noon.

 At the lunch table, some of the Filipino ladies asked us about their fortune telling papers some of which say “great fortune”, “good fortune” and others of which say “bad fortune”, etc.  Some were glad and others worried.  

We took a group photo both at the lunch table and the peak of the mountain.

 On the way back, we took a little different route via Iroha no Mori Trail and then Trail 4 which was recently renovated being equipped with more new stair-like wooden steps.  

Looks like our guests enjoyed the suspension bridge on that route taking more photos. 

 

Actually, on the way back, a group of Filipino ladies showed us their singing and dancing performance in front of the holy Joshin-mon tori-i gate.  

 

I’m sure that their future (and similarly the future of Kenyan gentleman who kindly offered some contribution to TENG at the very end of the tour which I declined to accept with thanks) should be greatly blessed by Izuna Daigongen, the religious ruler of Mt. Takao.   

Then, for a change, we took a chair lift from the Sanjo Station to the Sanroku Station, which appeared to be more exciting to our guests.

 We came back to the foot of the mountain around 3:15 p.m. and took a group photo again in front of the Kiyotaki Station, which was the end of the tour.

 

Written by Shiro

Dated: 22 April 2024