Report on Private Tour held on 30 October 2026

 

Our guests were a lovey-dovey international couple who live in Tokyo.

Looks like the British husband and the Japanese wife met online.

At Sumika-mae Observation Deck

 

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.

Pointing to the wooden plate showing the name of TENGU as 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 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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