Our
guests were a lovey-dovey international couple who live in Tokyo.
Looks
like the British husband and the Japanese wife met online.
After
the briefing on the dos and don’ts at Mt. Takao, the tour plan on that day,
etc. in front of Takaosanguchi Station, we started the tour around 9:40 am.
Unfortunately,
the weather was mostly cloudy and the moisture in the air prevented us from
seeing clearly Tokyo Skytree and high-rise buildings in Shinjuku from
Sumika-mae Observation Deck.
The
bright side of things was Mt. Takao was much less crowed than usual.
We
took a cable car leaving Kiyotaki Station at 10:00 am
After
getting off the cable car, we showed our guests various landmarks such as some
500-year-old Octopus Cedar Tree, six-sense purification stone, wheels, Joshin-mon
tori-i gate symbolizing the fusion of Shinto and Shingon sect of Buddhism, etc.
along Trail 1.
At the statue of lucky octopus
At the Joshin-mon tori-i gate
Our
guests showed their interest in my explanation that in the context of the
geology of Mt. Takao making the mountain prone to landslides, the artificially planting
Iris japonica commonly known as “Shaga” in Japanese is highly effective for
preventing landslides and controlling soil erosion.
At
a folk on Trail 1, our guests chose the more challenging route called “Otoko
Zaka”, literally, the Slope for Men without hesitation which was unlucky for me,
an old guide.
At Otoko Zaka
At the Gate of Getting out of sufferings
Before we got to the grounds of Yakuo-in Temple, we spent some time at Yuki-en (Joyful Garden) featuring an outdoor fire altar and a photogenic Thai style white stupa and then showed our guests a wooden plate mentioning TENGU as a donor to Yakuo-in Temple to demonstrate our loyalty to Mt. Takao.
When
we went into the grounds of Yakuo-in Temple going through Shitenno-mon (the
Gate of Four Heavenly Kings), it was around 12:00 am, which indicates that we
moved relatively slowly.
Having said that, to be more efficient, one of our guests, the Japanese wife went ahead of us (i.e., her husband and the guide) to obtain the Goshuin (a seal and calligraphy) at the temple office.
In front of Shitenno-mon (the Gate of Four Heavenly
Kings)
In front of a pair of TENGU statues
At the purification basin
At the Main Hall of Yakuo-in
Temple
At the Izuna Gongen-do Hall
We got
to the peak of the mountain around 12:45 pm.
At the peak of the mountain
Unfortunately, due to some unwanted clouds, we were not able to see a graceful figure of Mt. Fuji from the peak of the mountain.
With the elusive Mt. Fuji in the background
After
having lunch together, we left the peak of the mountain around 13:40 pm.
On
the way back, we took a little different route by following Trail 1 briefly and
then switching to Iroha no Mori Trail, then further switching to Trail 4 going
through a suspension bridge.
Like a lovey-dovey couple trees at Ihoha no Mori Trail
At suspension bridge (Miyamabashi bridge)
We
had a tea break at the table close to Sumika-mae observation deck enjoying “Tengu-yaki”,
No.1 dessert at Mount Takao.
Having a tea break
On
the return journey, we took a chairlift for a change.
Getting off a chairlift
After
coming back to the mountain base, we took the group photo in front of cable car
Kiyotaki Station around 3:30 pm, which was the end of the tour.
In front of Kiyotaki Station
Written
by Shiro
Dated:
1 November 2026
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