Our
guests was a Master’s student from Vietnam majoring in biology at Tokyo
Metropolitan University.
TENGU
guides included Satomi, Yamada and Shiro as tour leader. Two observers who are
prospective future TENGU members also joined the tour.
Obviously,
there were a little too many guides from the perspective of our guest.
In
fact, we originally planned a guiding training without any guests as we had
received no application for the tour in time for the application deadline.
Having
said that, I do believe that our guest was not upset to see too many guides
partly because we didn’t charge any fees and expenses to him.
The
weather was reasonably good during the tour.
So,
we were able to see high-rise buildings in Shinjuku and Tokyo Skytree from
Sumika-mae Observation Deck while we were not able to see Mt. Fuji from the
peak of Mt. Takao.
On
the way, we took a cable car leaving Kiyotaki Station around 10:00 am.
Soon
after we got off the cable car, we followed Trail 1, the front approach to
Yakuo-in Temple, effectively a monastery of mountain priests who practice
Shugendo, the fusion of Buddhism and Shinto.
At Kasumidai Observation Deck
We showed our guest various landmarks such as Monkey Park, some 500-year-old Octopus Cedar Tree, Joshin-mon tori-i gate symbolizing the fusion of Shinto and Shingon sect of Buddhism, a photogenic Thai style white stupa in Yuki-en (Joyful Garden), etc
Needless
to say, we showed our guest a wooden plate mentioning TENGU as a donor to
Yakuo-in Temple to demonstrate our loyalty to Mt. Takao.
In front of a wooden plate mentioning TENGU as a donor
to Yakuo-in Temple
When
we went into the grounds of Yakuo-in Temple going through Shitenno-mon (the
Gate of Four Heavenly Kings), it was around 11:30 am.
In front of Shitenno-mon (the Gate of Four Heavenly
Kings)
After
purifying ourselves at the purification basin, we took a group photo in front
of a pair of Tengu statues.
In front of a pair of Tengu statues
In
the grounds of Yakuo-in Temple, our guest drew an omikuji (fortune slip).
Generally,
Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines tend to minimize the share of great
misfortune and bad fortune by reducing them down to 5% or less to be more
friendly to visitors.
Having
said that, unfortunately, his fortune said “bad fortune“.
We
cheered him up by saying that in a sense his fortune is within the top 5%? of
all the fortunes and/or his fortune would surely become better in the future
and otherwise.
Further,
we suggested, irrespective of 'Don't leave any garbage behind campaign' in Mt.
Takao, that he should leave it behind by tying his fortune slip to a designed
wire in the grounds of Yakuo-in Temple to keep his bad fortune away.
We
got to the peak of the mountain around 12:30 pm.
As more or less expected, due to the bad fortune of our guest or otherwise, our guest and we were not able to see a graceful figure of Mt. Fuji from the peak of the mountain.
Having
said that, our fortune turned out better when we tried to find a lunch
table.
In
fact, a group of school students kindly let us use one of the tables they had
already occupied.
At the lunch table
We
had a good time over lunch and happened to find that our guest is studying
insects, especially, bees.
At the peak of the mountain
After
taking another group photo at the peak of the mountain, we left there around
1:30 pm via Trail 4 going through a suspension bridge.
Coming down Trail 4
After
coming back to the mountain base taking a chairlift, we took the final group
photo in front of to cable car Kiyotaki Station around 2:30 pm, which was the
end of the tour.
In front of Kiyotaki Station
Written
by Shiro
Dated:
21 March 2026
